Set Dosa | Set Dose (variation 2)

 Set dosa is one of the most loved breakfast in Karnataka.  Though the basic ingredients remain the same,there are some mild variations used by various restaurants that make them a speciality .

My mom had learnt a recipe from one restaurant cook and I have been following that primarily all these years to make Set Dosas at home . To check out my Mom's variant click here. 

Recently, my cousin Kalyani who blogs at Sizzling Tastebuds posted a Millet Set Dosa which prompted me to look up her recipe of The Regular Set Dosa and I found that it was slightly different from my recipe and  I went ahead and made Set Dosas with her proportion and needless to say everyone at home liked it. They were just spongy and so soft that it was a melt in mouth experience. I have followed her recipe to the 'T' and no changes at all . 

I served these cotton soft set dosas with Aloo Sagoo and Coconut Chutney the way it is served in most restaurants here in Bangalore . Chutney Pudi is of course our family favorite and we cannot imagine having our Dosas without Molagapudi.  Click on the recipe names above for detailed method of preparation. 

Ingredients 

2 cups idli rice 
1 cup whole udad dhall (udad dal gota)
1/4 cup beaten rice /Poha 
1/4 sabudana /jawwarsi 
 2 tsp channa dal
1 tsp methi seeds 
salt to taste 

Method 

• Wash the idli rice and udad dal 3 or 4 times until the water is clear .
• Sift the beaten rice once and wash it thoroughly under the colander .
• Soak the idli rice , udad dhall, beaten rice, Sabudana ,methi seeds in sufficient water for 3 to 4 hours .
• After the soaking Time,  grind the ingredients in a wet grinder or blender until you get a smooth batter . Batter must have the consistency of Dosa batter, neither too thick nor too runny . I prefer the wet grinder as the yield is more compared to  the blender method .
• Add salt, beat it well once with your hands . The warmth from our hands induces good aeration and helps the batter to ferment well.
• Allow the batter to ferment in a warm place for 8 to 10 hrs .

• To prepare the dosas ,heat the tawa , drop a ladle of the batter and donot spread too much. The set  Dosa has to be slightly thick .
• The moment you pour the batter on the hot tawa ,you can see lot of pores /holes developing on it.This means your batter is perfect. Just drizzle a few drops of oil and cook covered for 1min.
• Slowly flip over and cook on the other side for just 10 sec . 
• If the batter is well fermented, then absolutely no oil is required to cook the dosa.
• Serve hot with accompaniment of your choice.

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Chettinaad Kuzhipaniyaram - savory snack

 Kuzhipaniyaram is a very tasty and delightful savory snack which takes a very important place either for breakfast or evening snacks  in Tamil Nadu.

Kuzhi in Tamil means cavity/depression and paniyaram means snack in general . So Kuzhi paniyaram means a snack with a depression..sounds funny right ? Basically kuzhi refers to the cavity in the mould of the pan which is used to prepare this snack. 

Kuzhipaniyaram is made in a special vessel called as paniyarakal . It is the same pan which is used to make Sweet Appams ,paddu or gunthaponganalu .

I have already shared the other variant of Paniyaram made from regular Idli batter ,but this chettinaad Kuzhipaniyaram is a special recipe where the batter is ground solely for the purpose of making paniyarams.

Some classic recipes using the Paniyaram Kal / Aebelskeiwer Pan 

Jackfruit Nei Appam

Watermelon Nei Appam

Paddu/Gunthaponganalu

Kunukku Paniyaram

Chettinaad is a region in the Sivagangai district in Tamil Nadu (Southern India) . Chettinaad is known for amazing cotton sarees,Athangudi tiles and lipsmacking food with bold flavor profile especially non veg .

Chettinaad cuisine is known for its pungent and spicy flavor and variety of food ranging from main course , snacks to sweets and savories . As much as they are famous for non veg ,there are a lot of vegetarian options as well .

 Kuzhi paniyaram is served with coconut chutney and /or thakali(Tomato) chutney and some piping hot filter coffee. 

Kuzhipaniyaram also known as uppu appam should not be confused with the other chettinaad special known as Vellayappam .

Vellayappam is a totally different recipe and it has been very well explained by my co blogger Radha on her blog who is my partner this month for the Shh secretly cooking challenge ..we are celebrating Chettinaad cuisine suggested by Kalyani of Sizzling Tastebuds. Kalyani has shared a classic recipe Kaigari Mandi which is very delicious and a perfect accompaniment for main course or idli/dosas .

Soaking Time - 6 to 7 hrs
Fermentation Time - 8 hrs
Preparation Time - 30 mins
Cooking Time - 20 mins
Serves - 5 to 6

Ingredients 

1 cup raw rice (strictly no basmati rice)
1 cup idli rice 
1/4 cup whole udad dal (udad gota)
1 tsp fenugreek seeds 
Salt as needed 

For tempering 
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 to 3 green chillies finely  chopped 
Handful of curry leaves
2 tbsp grated coconut
1/4 cup oil
Fresh chopped corriander 
1/2 onion finely chopped (optional - I haven't used )

Method

• Wash multiple times until the water is clear. Soak the rice and lentils with fenugreek in water for 5 to 6 hrs.
• Grind the soaked rice and lentils in a blender or grinder to a fine smooth paste .Batter should be of idli batter consistency not a very runny batter . Let the batter ferment overnight or for 8 hrs . 
• Before making the kuzhi paniyarams , we need to prepare a tempering that will be added to the batter. 
• To prepare the tempering, heat about 2 tbsp oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, followed by the green chillies,  curry leaves and fry the onions if using until they turn pink and soft . Lastly add in the coconut and give a quick stir .Add this tempering along with finely chopped corriander to the batter and mix well . 
• Heat the paniyaram pan and add a few drops of oil in each cavity . 

• Once the pan is well heated ,add the batter to each cavity and remember to fill only 3/4th of the cavity . The batter on cooking will raise and it needs space to swell . So if you fill it to the brim,the batter will overflow making it a mess .
• The paniyarams will develop lot of pores as they are cooking, these pores are perfect indicator of a well fermented batter . Once the batter appears cooked on top ,carefully flip it over and cook the underside until it turns brown and crisp .Cooking has to be on medium flame throughout. 
• Remove the appams /paniyarams from the pan and serve hot with chutney of your choice. 

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Supersoft Idli and Crispy Dosas - How to grind using mixie / blender? | All in 1 batter

All of us love to eat steaming hot idlis and super crisp dosas just like the ones we get at the restaurants.

What if I tell you ,that you can enjoy the same soft idlis and crispy dosas at the comfort of your home ?? Would you believe me ? 

Yes, you need to believe me ,because I am going to share a fool proof All in 1 batter with you that too ground in a mixie /blender. You don't even need the traditional wet grinder which is normally used to grind Idli/Dosa Batter. 

As against the usual notion that idlis won't turn out soft when ground in blender ,this recipe will make spongy idlis , Crispy dosas and as a bonus you could make paniyarams or even uthappams .

Some small tips to keep in mind while grinding  and you will get a well fermented batter . We will soak the ingredients separately but grind it altogether.  

An absolute boon for working ladies because it reduces a lot of cleaning effort and also the time taken to grind the idli batter in a grinder . 

Few pointers to keep in mind.

** place the soaked udad dhall container inside the fridge for 2hrs while the rice soaks in normal room temperature.  Keeping the udad dhall in fridge will give a fluffy yield of the batter.

** idli rice, idli rava are easily available in Indian Stores (outside India) and at all grocery stores in India.

** only raw rice will not give the softness and perfect texture to the idlis or dosas, so we must use idli rice or idli rawa in larger or equal proportion with raw rice to get the softness along with raw rice .

**never use basmati rice as it will impart its own fragrance and flavor in the batter which may ruin the taste of the idli or dosa. 

Proportion & Ingredients 

1.5 cups idli rice / idli rava ( cream of rice)

1.5 cups regular rice (I used sona masuri) 

1.2 cups of udad dhall / black gram dhall (deskinned) 

1 tsp methi /fenugreek seeds(optional)

Few ice cubes or chilled water.

Method

• Take the rice and lentils in a wide mouthed container.
• Rinse the udad dhall and rice  multiple times until the water appears clear.
• If using idli rawa, then rinse and soak it separately for just about 1 hr before you grind the batter.
• Soak the udad dhall and rice( idli rice as well as raw rice) for about 3-5 hours in separate containers.
• Drain the soaked water and keep it aside . Add the rice and dhall to the mixie jar or blender ,add chilled water in small batches or 1 ice cube and grind into a  smooth batter  .
•  Do not add too much water and make it very runny . The batter has to be thick i.e. of dropping consistency .
• If using idli rava, add that to the blender along with raw rice and udad dhall at this stage.
• Grind it in small batches such that the mixie does not get over heated or overloaded.
• Transfer into wide mouthed container and mix the batter well with your hands and keep it in a warm place for fermentation. It will take about 8-12 hrs for fermentation in normal Indian weather conditions.
• Incase ,you are in a place where the temperatures are less,then it might take even upto one day to ferment. Do not panic. 
• Keep the batter in an oven with the light turned on for quick fermentation. 
•  After the batter has fermented,add the required amount of salt and mix it well and make idlis as well as dosas and enjoy your favorite breakfast.

Note: 

• mixing with your hands,helps in better aeration and the body warmth helps in better fermentation of the batter.
• 
  
• If you are not comfortable to use your hands ,alternatively you may use a whisk to beat the batter till it feels light and fluffy . 

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Feedback from friends and well wishers

 I am including the feedback from a few members of a food group in social media who have tried this proportion and are very happy with the results.

Kanjivaram Idli | Kancheepuram Idli | Kudalai Idli

The name Kancheepuram/ Kanjivaram is synonymous to Pattu Saree popularly known as Kanjivaram Pattu. The handloom industry with skilled workers make the best of  Silk Sarees that are woven with beautiful and intricate designs ,styles and motifs.

Next to Sarees,the city is known for the very many temples and most importantly the famous Varadaraja Perumal Temple where this idli is offered as Prasadam to the Lord.

The authentic recipe doesn't use idli rice/parboiled rice as it is an offering/prasad ,but when making at home we can make use of idli rice.  Any  prasad /offering generally doesn't make use of idli rice or parboiled rice as per customs.

These idlis are slightly different as compared to the regular idlis as the batter is ground slightly coarse in texture and tempered with some spices like pepper,ginger and curry leaves.Also,traditionally these idlis are steamed in mandhara elai Dhonnais (eco friendly cups made out of dried leaves) .
The other name for Kancheepuram Idli is Kudalai Idli as it is steamed in the Dhonnai.

Where can you find the Dhonnais / eco friendly leaf cups ?

Go to a store where they sell items related to Pooja like mud diyas, cotton wicks , photo frames of God and Goddesses . These stores usually sell these dhonnais and also leaf plates which is used to serve prasad during any festive occasion in temples as well as homes . Ask for leaf cups and they will show you various sizes,pick the size you like . Wash it well before you steam the idlis.

Kancheepuram idlis can be served with Coconut chutney and Sambar .Many people like the combination of Tomato Khara Chutney with these idlis.We at home like to have it with Idli Molagapudi and sesame oil along with the other accompaniments  .

I am thankful to Mayuri ji for introducing me to the food group on Facebook started by Renu which focuses on redoing our old posts.  As bloggers when we began we would have clicked photos or posted about the recipe in a simple manner,but with time we would love to update either the write up or the photos of the recipe which will be more appealing for our readers.  This group Foodies_Redoingoldposts on Facebook gives us a good momentum and push to look up our old posts and update them . So inspired by this group's activity I have updated this post on Kanjivaram Idlis with new photos and write up on August 7 - 2022

Preparation Time : 10-12 hrs 

( Soaking Time : 3-4 hrs | 

Fermentation Time : 8-10 hrs)
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Serves : Makes about 16-20 idlis
Complexity : medium high

Ingredients

1 cup udad dhall
1 cup idli rice
1 cup regular raw rice ( I used Sona Masuri.,donot use basmati )

**you can also use 2 cups raw rice and skip idli rice if making for prasad /neivedhiyam

To Temper

2 tsp jeera/cumin
2 tsp ginger powder/ chukku/shunt
2 tsp pepper powder
pinch of asafoetida
finely chopped curry leaves
2 tsp gingelly oil/sessame oil/til oil

Method

Grinding the batter

Wash the rice and dhall separately until the water turns clear. Soak them separately for atleast 4 hrs. 

It is best to use wet grinder to grind the batter . Incase of using a mixie/blender ,make sure to use cold water while grinding the udad dhall. 

Grind the udad dhall first using very little water until it feels fluffy and almost doubles in volume.

Drop a small blob of the batter in a cup full of water ,the blob of batter must float and not sink.  This is the desired consistency of udad dhall batter for soft and fluffy idlis .

Take it out in a separate vessel that is wide enough. Next add the rice to the grinder and grind it well but not very smooth.let it be a little coarse. Add this to the udad dhall batter and mix it well using your hands.

Please Note,using hands to mix the batter helps in fermentation process as our body heat is transferred in the process of mixing. Leave it aside for fermentation . It will take 6-10 hrs depending on the outside temperature and season.

Freshly ground batter

Well fermeneted batter.

How to prepare Idlis ?

Prepare the tempering using jeera and asafoetida.Add the tempering along with the finely chopped curry leaves,dry ginger powder ,pepper powder and salt.Mix well 

Grease the idli plates with a little oil and prepare the steamer/ pressure cooker by then with sufficient water. Pour the batter into the greased idli moulds and steam for 16-18 minutes or use the tooth pick test to check if the idlis are done .

If you want to steam them in the eco-friendly leaf cups (donnais) then pour the batter into those cups and place them in the steamer and steam it as always .

Steamed Idlis

Soft and fluffy idlis are ready to be served.

Alternatively,you can also grease a round mould and steam the batter in it and cut in desired shapes .Just like how you would do for a cake or dhoklas.

Incase, you feel the batter is not risen well, you can add some eno fruit salt before steaming. Take care to add eno only to the quantity of batter to be steamed and not to the entire batch of batter.

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