Tomato Dosa

I first saw these dosas on Laavanya's blog over a year ago, and what I liked most about the recipe was the fact that the batter was really easy to prepare and did not involve fermentation. I have since been making it very frequently.
These dosas make for a perfect breakfast/brunch over the weekend when you don't feel like doing much, or for that matter, on a busy weeknight when you just can’t!

For Laavanya's recipe, head over to Cookery Corner.

Here's what I did.
Ingredients:
1 cup raw rice, soaked for at least an hour
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 red chillies
A few curry leaves
2 Tbsp grated coconut
1 Tbsp tomato paste
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind everything together, adding water as you go along, to get the right consistency for the batter.
Go ahead and make those dosas now! Everyone knows how to make dosas, right? I have a thing for thin and crispy dosas, so that's how I made mine.

Here are some other dosas I make very often-
Adai
Cornmeal dosa
Jaggery dosa
Plain dosa (instant)

Kale And Potato Pancakes

These pancakes were made by H a couple of weekends back. They tasted so good that I just had to jot it down here. Now, H never measures anything while cooking, so I only have approximate amounts of the ingredients that went into this recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups kale, chopped as finely as possible
2 medium potatoes, peeled and grated (squeeze out the excess mositure)

To grind to a very coarse mixture:
1 medium onion
4-5 green chillies
3-4 curry leaves
3 Tbsp corn
A tiny piece of ginger
1-2 garlic cloves

Mix together-
2 eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup rice flour
1-2 Tbsp yogurt
2 Tbsp shredded Mozzarella cheese.
1 tsp cumin seeds, pounded coarsely (I used a mortar and pestle)
1 tsp baking powder
Salt
Oil/butter to grease the griddle/skillet

Method:
Mix all the ingredients listed above to form a relatively thick batter. A little bit of water may be used to bring the batter together.

Grease a hot skillet with oil/butter; pour a ladleful of the batter. Tilt and move the skillet around a bit so that the batter spreads out a little. Try and spread it out as evenly as possible with the back of the ladle (not very easy since the batter's really thick).

Cover and cook on medium heat until one side is done. Then, flip and cook the other side similarly. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.

Serve with sour cream. I had mine with ketchup.

Peppery Chickpeas

I’ve been frequenting my local library a lot during the weekends. Lately, I have been browsing through their collection of books by Indian authors/books set in India. I managed to finish 4 books in the last 3 months, which is more than I’d read in the last 2 years!

Here are a few books I’ve enjoyed recently. You might like them too.
Monsoon Diary: A Memoir with Recipes by Shoba Narayan
A Breath of Fresh Air by Amulya Malladi
The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi
Song of the Cuckoo Bird by Amulya Malladi
Serving Crazy with Curry by Amulya Malladi (Of all of Malladi’s books, this was my least favorite.)
I’m currently halfway through Rupa Bajwa’s The Sari Shop. Anita Rau Badami’s Tamarind Woman is next on my list to read.

I think I just might have rediscovered the joy of reading! I did not make any New Year's resolutions, but if had made one, it would be this- to read more.

During a recent visit to the library a few days back I picked up, among other books, a couple of cookbooks too.

This recipe for peppery chickpeas is something I came across in Maya Kaimal's Savoring the Spice Coast of India: Fresh Flavors from Kerala. It is a very simple recipe that can be prepared in a jiffy especially if you are like me, and always have a couple of cans of chickpeas on hand.

Ingredients:
(For almost 2 servings)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 onion, finely chopped
¾ tsp pepper, coarsely ground
¼ tsp cumin seeds, roasted & powdered
½ tsp coriander powder
A pinch of chilli powder
A handful of coriander leaves, chopped
Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Salt

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin and mustard seeds. Add the onions and sauté till lightly brown.

Add the spice powders (pepper, coriander cumin, chilli) and cook.

Stir in the chickpeas and cover and cook for a couple of minutes for the spices to coat the chickpeas and for the flavors to come together.

Take the pan off the heat, stir in the lemon juice. Garnish with chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.

This is my entry for JFI: Chickpeas. I’m also sending this across for the seventh edition of My Legume Love Affair.

A couple of other legume-centric dishes on this blog-
Chickpea Tikkis
Beans with Cheese and Basil
Edamame and Black Beans Thoran
Tomatillo Dal
Moth Beans Curry
Spicy Cannellini Bean Soup
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus