Geetha's Kitchen

A friend gave me a bag of semolina flour for making pasta. I had never made fresh pasta. So what else can one do with a bag of pasta flour? Well, make Dosa of course! This is a basic recipe that makes very good dosas. It is really quite easy and doesn't require planning ahead like the traditional dosa batter. You can make wonderful, light, lacy dosas with almost any flour such as whole wheat, corn, millet, etc. Ingredients: 1 Cup Whole Wheat or other flour 1/2 cup Rice flour 1 tsp Salt or to taste 1/4 cup Plain Yogurt /Buttermilk (Optional) 11/2 cups Water 1/2 tsp whole Cumin seeds OR 1/2 small onion, finely chopped Thalippu/Tadka: 1 or 2 tsp oil 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard Seeds 1 hot green chili, finely chopped A few curry leaves, finely sliced A few Tbsp Oil for cooking the Dosas Method: Mix the flours and salt. Add the yogurt/buttermilk if using and the water and mix thoroughly; let sit for about 30 minutes to hydrate the flours well. The batter should be smooth and have the...

The rice dosa is a gluten free treat (and casein free too if you omit the yogurt/buttermilk). This is a basic recipe that makes very good dosas pretty quickly when you don't have time to make the freshly ground traditional dosa batter. Rice flour, Urid flour (urid is a type of lentil), podi, pickles, etc are readily available at Indian markets. If urid flour is difficult to find, soy flour or soy milk may be used instead. Ingredients: 1 Cups Rice flour (white or brown) 1/4 cup Urid flour 1 tsp Salt or to taste 1/4 cup Plain Yogurt or Buttermilk (Optional) 11/2 to 2 cups Water 2 or 3 Tbsp Oil for cooking Method: Mix the flours and salt. Add the yogurt/buttermilk if using and the water and mix thoroughly. The batter should be smooth and have the consistency of thick buttermilk. Add water as necessary. Let sit for about 30 minutes to hydrate the flours well. The resting also eliminates any lumps. The batter can also be left to ferment for a few hours or overnight -- if so make su...

Dosas are light, lacy and delectable, slightly crispy and so flavorful that one just has to taste to experience. Naturally Gluten and Dairy Free, dosas are nutritious too.  There are many kinds of dosas made with diverse ingredients which are eaten from breakfast to midnight snack. This is the typical dosa recipe and simply our home version. They are traditionally eaten for breakfast or with afternoon tea in South India but popular anytime. Dosas can be served plain or filled or accompanied by diverse side dishes of curries, chutneys, and sauces. The leftover batter will last for a couple of weeks when refrigerated. The leftover batter can be used in making bajjis and uthappam. Ingredients: 2 cups uncooked raw rice (any type) 2/3 cups skinless Urad dal, whole or split 2 tsp Fenugreek seeds (Methi) 2 tsp Salt 2 or 3 Tbsp Oil for cooking Method: Prepare the Batter: Check the dal for debris or little rocks and remove them. Wash the rice, dal and...