Neer Dose and Vegetable Saagu

Making dosas was once a very skillful task for me. Soaking various dals and rice in the right proportions. Then, grinding it to a fine mixture and then allowing the concoction to ferment to the right level. And as the grand finale, pouring the perfect dosa on the griddle - All seemed like a humongous task. Not that I am an expert now, but I have learnt the simple tricks of the trade to end up with some lip-smacking ones. In fact, it has been only about two years now since I have started making idli and dosa batter at home. Among the umpteen number of dosa recipes I have seen/eaten I think my personal favourite is the Neer Dosa, which if I am not wrong is an authentic Mangalorean dish. Back in India, I had a friend from Mangalore who lived in the same apartment building as us, where I used to eat this dosa very often. It pairs amazingly well with non-vegetarian and vegetarian gravies alike. I had almost forgotten this childhood favourite of mine...but Madhuri posted a different version of the same on her blog, which refreshed my memory. In this post, I've whipped up vegetable saagu that is normally served along with puris in South Indian hotels as the famous Puri-Saagu combo. The crispy yet soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture of the Neer Dosa beautifully compliments the entire experience of eating this side dish.

Ingredients for Neer Doses
1 Cup Rice, soaked for one hour (I have used Soona Masoori. You can even use Basmati)
2 tbsp. grated coconut
A pinch of baking soda
Water
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- Grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste in the blender/mixer
- Add about 2 glasses (16oz) more water to the ground paste to make the batter watery
- On a hot griddle/tawa, first sprinkle water to cool off temporarily
- Once the water evaoprated, on a high flame, spread oil and pour the batter in a sprinkling action to form a complete circle
- Turn the flame to medium, hold on to your patience and wait for the dosa to cook. It will slowly form the net a net-like texture and come off from the sides indicating that it has cooked on the lower side
- Flip and fry the other side
- For every subsequent dosa, repeat by cooling off the griddle/tawa by sprinkling water and then spreading oil before you pour (sprinkle) the dosas
- Serve hot with vegetable saagu or any spicy gravy/chutney


Now that we've mastered the Neer Dose, let's discover the Vegetable Saagu recipe.

Ingredients for Vegetable Saagu
For the Masala
1/2 Cup Coconut (I used frozen coconut slices)
1/2 Cup Channa Dalia (Phutane)
2 Green chillies
2 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste (You can substitute for fresh grated ginger and garlic)
3/4 Cup Coriander/Parsley
1 tsp Jeera

For the Gravy
2 Cups choice of vegetables - Boiled (I have used potatoes, carrots, green beans and peas)
1 Cup Tomato - Finely chopped
1 Cup Onion - Finely chopped
2 tsp Tamarind pulp
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Asafoetida/Hing
6-8 Curry leaves
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- Grind all the Masala ingredients to a smooth paste
- In a deep saucepan, heat oil
- Add mustard seeds and allow to splutter
- Toss in the asafoetida and the curry leaves and stir a few seconds
- Add the onions and fry until translucent
- Add the chopped tomatoes and stir until done
- Pour the ground masala and stir well
- Cook for about a minute, stirring occasionally
- Add the chopped vegetables (along with the water in which you boiled it to retain the goodness) and salt and cook another 3 minutes (keep an eye and stir, as it may boil and fly all over your stove)
- Pour the tamarind pulp and simmer for about a minute
- Stir again and if needed, add water to adjust the consistency of the saagu if it is to thick (It should not be too runny, too)
- Garnish with fresh coriander sprigs and serve hot

SERVES 4 (Makes a good 15-20 dosas. You can comfortably tuck in about 4 dosas for breakfast!)

Idli (Idli Batter)

I have two methods of preparing Idli Batter. One uses Idli rava and the other comprises rice. You can opt either one of them to make idli batter.

Ingredients
1 cup - Urad Dal
2.5 cups - Idli Rava ( you get this in Indian stores) OR Rice
1 handful - Poha (flattened rice)
Salt, to taste
A pinch of baking powder/soda

Method (using Idli Rava)
1. Soak urad dal and poha overnight/8hours.
2. Drain excess water and grind into a smooth, thick mixture.
3. Add the Idli Rava and mix. This will make the better very dry and hard to mix. So pour in some water. Not too much, but just enough to make it like a batter. Remember this batter HAS to be thick (Thicker than dosa batter consistency)
4. Add salt and soda.
5. Leave to ferment. This takes about 6-8 hours.
6. Stir the fermented batter to remove any air bubbles. (Well fermented batter will have lots of air bubbles and would have risen up in the vessel)
7. Promptly refrigerate.
8. When required, grease idli mould stand and pour batter. Steam in pressure cooker and serve hot with any chutney of your choice.

Method (using Rice)
1. Soak urad dal, rice and poha overnight/8hours.
2. Drain excess water and grind into a smooth, thick mixture.
3. Add salt and soda.
4. Leave to ferment. This takes about 6-8 hours.
5. Stir the fermented batter to remove any air bubbles. (Well fermented batter will have lots of air bubbles and would have risen up in the vessel)
6. Promptly refrigerate.
7. When required, grease idli mould stand and pour batter. Steam in pressure cooker and serve hot with any chutney of your choice.

This batter keeps for about a week in pleasant weather conditions in the refrigerator.

Fermenting Tips
a) If the weather is cold (below 10C) then I suggest that you turn on the oven for a while to about 250F and preheat. Then Turn Off once its hot. Now, toss the vessel of mixed batter into it with a plate/bowl under it, in case the batter overflows after fermenting.
b) If the weather is warm/pleasant (between 10C to about 20C) you can just place it on your stove, right on top of the part where the flame of the burners are lit. That warmth will be enough for fermentation.
c) If the weather is hot don't do any of the above. The heat in the air will ferment the batter in no time.

Dosa (Dosa Batter)

Ingredients
1 cup - Urad Dal
3 cups - Rice ( you can use either boiled rice or regular rice. I use regular rice. You can also use the rice that mentions Idli Dosa Rice in Indian Stores here.)
1 handful - Poha (flattened rice)
1.5 tsp - Methi seeds
3 tbsp - Toor Dal
3 tbsp - Channa Dal
A pinch of baking soda
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
1. Simply mix and soak all these ingredients with sufficient water (since the dals absorb water add enough water. One and half to two times the amount of the mixed ingredients should be good) for about 8 hours/overnight. You need not wash the mixture
2. After 8-10 hours, drain excess water
3. Grind in a blender/mixer until it becomes very smooth in texture. Do not add too much water. Maintain a thick batter like consistency as you grind it
5. Pour the batter in a vessel and add salt, to taste. Make sure you use a large vessel to allow the batter to rise
6. Add the soda
7. Leave to ferment. This takes about 6-8 hours.
8. Stir the fermented batter to remove any air bubbles. (Well fermented batter will have lots of air bubbles and would have risen up in the vessel)
9. Promptly refrigerate.
10. When required, make dosas by pouring the batter using a deep, round ladle on a hot griddle (previously sprinkled with oil) just like you would pancakes. Enjoy with chutney/alu sabji

This batter keeps for about a week in pleasant weather conditions in the refrigerator.

Fermenting Tips
a) If the weather is cold (below 10C) then I suggest that you turn on the oven for a while to about 250F and preheat. Then Turn Off once its hot. Now, toss the vessel of mixed batter into it with a plate/bowl under it, in case the batter overflows after fermenting.
b) If the weather is warm/pleasant (between 10C to about 20C) you can just place it on your stove, right on top of the part where the flame of the burners are lit. That warmth will be enough for fermentation.
c) If the weather is hot don't do any of the above. The heat in the air will ferment the batter in no time.

Quick and Easy Sweet Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients
3 fl. oz Thick tamarind paste
3/4th cup Jaggery (Panela), finely crushed
Water

Method
- In a vessel, pour the tamarind paste and dilute to make it about 5 fl. oz.
- Turn on the flame and add the jaggery and continuously stir
- Reduce to about half the quantity
- Turn off the flame

Noteworthy Notes
The above mentioned quantities makes about 2.5 fl. oz. of sweet tamarind chutney that can be used in chaats to provide a sweet and tangy flavour. This is a quick and easy version that I use when I dont have store bought chutney.

How To Cook Pasta

Ingredients
Pasta (Any variety)
Lots of water
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!!

Method
Step 1 - In a large vessel, set the water to a boil. Closing the vessel will speed up this process
Step 2 - Once the water reaches a rapid boil, add the salt and give it a stir
Step 3 - Toss in the pasta and allow to cook, stirring occassionally. The amount of time pasta takes to cook depends on the variety of pasta. But in general most pastas take about 10 minutes to cook.
Step 4 - Once done, drain away the water and rinse the pasta with some cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain away the cold water too and you have your cooked pasta ready!!

Noteworthy Notes
Most chefs suggest you cook the pasta until "al dente". It means nothing but - Not too soft, nor too hard. Just cooked enough to bite in with your teeth.
Refer - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/al%20dente