KOTHU CHILLI DOSA

by Deerga // July 2, 2014 // 2 Comments

Tired of having the same old idli and dosa? Worried about what chutney to make for dosa or idli? Worry not, kothu chilli dosa will save the day. Kothu chilli dosa is a variety of dosa made with regular dosa and masala.

I came across kothu chilli dosa recipe on the internet and was intrigued by it. Naturally, I tried it right away and it turned out to be awesome. Kothu chilli dosa is easy to make and most importantly does not require any sort of accompaniment, like chutney or sambar to it. Also, for health conscious folks out there, you can customize your masala with vegetables like broccoli or zucchini instead of potato.

Kothu chilli dosa can be made using regular dosa batter or a substitute that consists of gram flour. I personally prefer dosa batter and the recipe below uses the same. Having shredded kothu chilli dosa with onions sprinkled over is a taste that you should try at least once 🙂
And without further delay, here is the recipe for the wonderful kothu chilli dosa.

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KOTHU CHILLI DOSA

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Dosas (preferably uthapam) – 5
Oil – 3 tbsp
Onion, chopped – 1 no , divided
Ginger- Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Tomato, medium size, chopped – 1 no
Green chilli, chopped – 2 nos
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Salt as required
Cilantro , chopped – 5 tbsp

Instructions

Shred the dosas to desired size pieces and keep it aside.
Heat a pan with oil and add onions. Sauté until they turn translucent - Add enough oil so that you don’t have to add water later on.
Add in ginger – garlic paste and sauté until the raw aroma disappears. Now add the chopped green chillies and cilantro. Give it a stir and add tomatoes.
Reduce the flame and cook the tomatoes well (without any chunks). Add all the powders and give a quick stir. Cook until the oil ooze out – Do not add water.
Finally add in the shredded dosa pieces to the tomato sauce and give it a stir. Switch off the flame when the dosas are well blended with the tomato sauce. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Sprinkle few drops of lemon juice and onions on top and serve it hot. Enjoy!

Notes

1.Add enough oil in the beginning so that you don’t have to add water later on.
2.Having the kothu chilli dosa with onions adds more taste to this dish.

CHALNA |SALNA

by Deerga // June 7, 2014 // 2 Comments

Chalna is a popular Tamilian dish that is had mainly with parotta (again, a tamilian take on north Indian paratha). It is also known as saervai in Chennai. Chalna is also used as an ingredient for kothu parotta in restaurants. It is mainly added to compensate the dryness of parotta.
Back in my home state, Chalna served in restaurants is watery but mine is a little bit thick. I personally like to have it with dosa as well. Chalna poured over shredded parotta is a common sight in restaurants back home and having it like that tastes so good 🙂 There are different varieties of Chalna; plain, vegetarian, non-vegetarian etc. The recipe I had given here is plain. In vegetarian Chalna, potato is added and in non-vegetarian version, meat (chicken or mutton – mainly bones) is added.
The Chalna recipe that I had given here is the end product of numerous trials and errors and is the best version to date, guaranteed! So, do try this wonderful recipe in your kitchen and let me know your experiences.

CHALNA |SALNA

Recipe type: Breakfast / Dinner

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

For the powder:

Oil - 2 drops
Coriander seeds - 1 ½ tbsp
Cumin seeds -3/4 tbsp
Red chillies – 4 nos
Whole green chilli – 2nos (don’t cut)
Curry leaves- 6 to 7 nos
Cinnamon stick - 1 “
Fennel seeds- ½ tsp

For the Paste:

Oil - ½ tbsp
Big onion - 1
Shallots - 2 nos
Ginger - a small piece
Garlic - 2 cloves
Poppy seeds – 1 tbsp
Cashews – 3 nos
Green chillies – the same above sautéed ones.
Ripen tomato – 1 (roughly chopped)
Grated coconut – 1 ½ tbsp

Other ingredients:

Gingelly oil – 2 tbsp
Cinnamon – 1”
Clove -1
Fennel seeds – 2 pinch
curry leaves – 6 nos
turmeric powder – ½ tsp
salt as required
Chicken – ¼ kg
Water – 1 to 1 ½ cup
Chopped cilantro for garnishing

Instructions

Step 1:

Heat oil in a pan and add in coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, whole green chillies and curry leaves one by one. Sauté for 40 seconds. Add in cinnamon and fennel seeds. Give a quick stir and switch off the flame.
Remove the green chillies and keep aside. Allow the above mixture to cool and make a powder.

Step 2:

Heat oil in a pan and add in roughly chopped onion, shallots, ginger and garlic. Sauté for few seconds. Add in poppy seeds and cashews and green chillies (the same above sautéed ones). Give a stir and add roughly chopped tomato. Sauté for few seconds and switch off the flame. Allow it to cool and make a paste.

Step 3:

Grind coconut separately to a fine paste.

Step 4:

Heat oil in a small pressure cooker and add in cinnamon, clove and fennel seeds. When they start to sizzle add in curry leaves and give a stir.
Now add in the ground onion paste and sauté for few seconds. Add the ground masala powder along with turmeric powder and salt and sauté until the color changes and oil separates.
Add in the chicken pieces and stir well until the paste is well blended. Add water and mix well. cover the lid and cook for a whistle. When done add in the coconut paste and bring it to a boil – at this stage you will start to notice oil in the rim. Check salt and switch off the flame. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Serve hot with plain parotta or roti or kothu parotta or idli or dosa. Enjoy!

Notes

Vegetarians can add vegetables instead of chicken or simply make plain chalna. I tried both and it tasted heavenly.

CHILLI IDLI | KAIMA IDLI

by Deerga // May 11, 2014 // No Comments

Chilli idli is a variation of the south Indian rice cakes called as Idli. Idli is ubiquitous in Tamilnadu and is one of the most common food items that you can find there (next only to rice). Chilli idli or kaima idli is basically a fried dish where you have fried idli pieces as the base ingredient.
Chilli idli is one of my favorite vegetarian dishes. It is very easy to prepare and can be done quickly as well. It is also a popular snack item but mainly served as a dinner dish in restaurants back home.
In you preparation, deep fry the idli pieces to give restaurant touch. Make sure to steam idlis six to eight hours ahead and store it in a refrigerator. So that the pieces will absorb less oil while frying. If you are health conscious like us, you could simply spray some cooking oil on top of the pieces and bake in the oven until the sides are crisp and change color. But I would say, once in a while you should skip all your calorie calculations and do it the tasty albeit not so healthy way ;).

Here is my version of restaurant style chilli idli 🙂

CHILLI IDLI | KAIMA IDLI

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Vegetable oil- for deep frying
Idli – 7 nos
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – a sprig
Onion – 1
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbs
Tomato, large – 1
Green chilli – 2
Green Capsicum or bell pepper, cut lengthwise – ½ cup
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Pav bhaji masala – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Tomato ketchup – 1 tbsp
Salt as required
Garlic powder – 1 tsp (optional)
Onion powder – 1 tsp (optional)
Cashews – 1 tbsp
Cilantro, chopped – 2 tbsp
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp

Instructions

Steam the idlis and refrigerate it at least for 6 hours.
Heat oil in a frying pan, and meanwhile cut the idlis to desirable bite size pieces.
Fry the idli pieces until it turns brown and crispy. Drain on a plate lined with paper napkin and set aside.
Heat a pan with a tbsp of oil, season with fennel seeds and curry leaves.
When they start to sizzle, add in the chopped onion. Sauté until the onions turn translucent. Add in ginger-garlic paste and stir fry until the raw aroma disappears.
Now add in chopped tomato followed by slit chillis. Sauté for couple of minutes until the tomatoes are mushy without any chunks.
Add bell pepper and give it a stir.
Now in a low flame, add chilli powder, coriander powder, pav bhaji masala, salt and ketchup. Stir well until all the masalas are well mixed.
Add in the fried idli pieces to the masala and give a good stir until the masalas are blended.
Now add ¼ th cup of water and bring it to boil. When the water is completely absorbed, add in garlic and onion powder. Give it a stir. Switch off the flame.
Garnish with fried cashews and chopped cilantro.
Drizzle few drops of lemon juice on top before serving.
Enjoy hot chilli idli with onion raitha!

What is your version of chilli idli?