Rice Khatta Dhokla with Green Chutney

Dhoklas are traditional Gujarati food. There are many variations of dhokla: it can be made with besan / kadalai maavu / garbanzo flour, lentils, peas etc. Khatta dhoklas are made with ground rice and urud dal. Khatta means sour in Gujarati language, we have to add khata dahi / yogurt / curd, which gives it a slight sour taste.  

Rice Khatta Dhokla

* Green chutney recipe is at the bottom of this post.
* To make this dhokla with (instant) rice dhokla flour follow this recipe: Khatta dokla made with rice dhokla flour

Ingredients: 

3/4  cup               rice

1/4  cup               urud dal / black gram /  ulunthu

1"                        ginger   

2                         green chillies

1 tsp                    oil / ghee 

1/2  cup               yogurt / curd / dahi

1  pinch               aesofoetida

1/2  tsp                coarsely ground black pepper / red chilli flakes

1/2  cup               warm water

1/4  tsp                fruit salt / uno salt

salt to taste

To temper:

1/2  tsp               mustard seed  

1/2  tsp               urud dal

3                        dry red chilli

1  tbs                  oil

few                     curry leaves

dhokla with chutney

Method:

1. Soak the rice and the dal separately for 2-4 hrs. Grind / blend it coarsely with some water.

2. Add the warm water, salt and yogurt to the batter and leave it overnight / 6-8 hrs to ferment.

3. Grind the chilli and ginger into a paste, mix it to the fermented batter along with aesofoetida. Check for salt.

4.  Add uno salt to the dhokla batter and add a few drops of water over it (it will bubble).

4. Grease a round metal pan / thali with ghee or oil, pour the batter into it.

5. Sprinkle the black pepper or the green chilli flakes over it. Keep the pan in an iddly or dhokla cooker and steam it for 10-15 mins or till the middle part of the dhokla gets firm. Take the dhokla out of the pan.

6. Heat oil in a tadka pan, add the mustard seeds and urud dal. When the mustard splutters add the red chillies and curry leaves and fry till it gets crispy.

7. Pour the seasoning over the dhokla and cut it diagonally. Enjoy eating it with green chutney. 

Chutney

Chutney:
2 tsp           oil
3                red chilli
1 clove       garlic
1 cup         shredded coconut 
2 handful   mint/ coriander leaves
 1. Heat  oil in a pan and add 3 dried red chillies and 1 clove of garlic and fry till it gets crispy.
2. Add 1 cup if shredded coconut and fry for few minutes, now add  2 handful of mint or coriander leaves and fry till the leaves starts to wilt. 
3. Add salt and 1 tsp of lemon juice, grind it in a blender and serve with the dhokla.

Tips for taste:

1. We can fry the dhokla pieces in the seasoning for a crispy snack.

2. Use a pan with a lid to steam dhoklas instead of cookers.

dhokla batter

add uno salt and water on it...

   2. Use a pan with a lid to steam dhoklas instead of cookers.

steam dhoklas in a covered pan

dhokla 

                                  ENJOY:)     

                                              

                                      

How to extract coconut milk and coconut cream

We can buy coconut milk in cans from the grocery stores. I use it occasionally in my indian cooking. Most of the time i use the fresh home made coconut milk. Many south Indian gravies have coconut milk as its base ingredient. 

thick coconut milk extract...

To make thick coconut milk:
1 cup - fresh, frozen or dry shredded coconut

1. If it's frozen, thaw it first. For dry shredded coconut soak it in 1/2 cup warm water for at least 10 mins before grinding.
2. Add 2 tbs of warm water to the coconut, grind it in a blender or mixer, squeeze the milk through a strainer or cheese cloth.

To make thin milk:  
Add 1/2 cup of warm water to the squeezed coconut pulp and grind it again and strain it. This milk will look diluted. 

To make coconut cream:
1. Keep the thick milk in the refrigerator. 
2. The liquid will get separated  
with a thick cream on top and thin liquid in the bottom.
3. Scoop out the cream and use the liquid as thin milk in a recipe or blend them together and use the thick milk in a recipe which calls for coconut milk.
  

coconut pulp....

thin coconut milk extract....

                                                            
                                                            
                                                            

Khatta dhokla made with rice dhokla flour

dhokla with chutney

Rice dhokla flour:

We can make dhokla flour in advance by dry grinding 3:1 ratio rice and urud dal. 
1. Wash the rice and urud dal and spread it on a cloth to dry - in a sunny spot outside or on the kitchen counter. 
2. Dry roast the grains, let it cool and grind it coarsely. 
3. Store it in an airtight container. 
Ingredients:

2   cups            dokla flour

1"                    ginger   

3                     green chillies

1 tsp                oil / ghee 

1/2 cup            yogurt / curd / dahi

1 pinch            aesofoetida

1/2 tsp             coarsely ground black pepper / red chilli flakes

4 cups            warm water

1/4 tsp             fruit salt / uno salt

salt to taste

To temper:

1/2 tsp               mustard seed  

1/2 tsp               urud dal

3                        dry red chilli

1 tbs                  oil

few                    curry leaves

Method:

2. Add the warm water, salt and yogurt to the dhokla flour, mix it nicely with the hand and leave it overnight / 6-8 hrs to ferment.

3. Grind the chilli and ginger into a paste, mix it to the batter along with aesofoetida. Check for salt.

4.  Add uno salt to the dhokla batter, it's consistency should be like cake batter,  add a few drops of water over it (it will bubble).

4. Grease a round metal pan / thali with ghee or oil, pour the batter into it.

5. Sprinkle the black pepper or the green chilli flakes over it. Keep the pan in an iddly or dhokla cooker and steam it for 10-15 mins or till the middle part of the dhokla gets firm. Take the dhokla out of the pan.

6. Heat oil in a tadka pan, add the mustard seeds and urud dal. When the mustard splutters add the red chillies and curry leaves and fry till it gets crispy.

7. Pour the seasoning over the dhokla and cut it diagonally. Enjoy eating it with green chutney. 

Green Chutney

Chutney:
2 tsp           oil
4                red chilli
1 clove       garlic
1 cup         shredded coconut 
2 handful   mint/ coriander leaves
 1. Heat  oil in a pan, add the red chillies, garlic and fry till it gets crispy.
2. Add 1 cup of shredded coconut and fry for few minutes, now add  the  mint or coriander leaves and fry till the leaves starts to wilt. 
3. Add salt and  lemon juice, grind it in a blender and serve with the dhokla.

Tips for taste:

1. We can fry the dhokla pieces in the seasoning for a crispy snack.

2. Use a pan with a lid to steam dhoklas instead of cookers.

                                     
                                     
                                                                                

Eraal Kheema / Minced spicy Shrimp

   Shrimp is a close relative of prawn. The larger ones are commonly referred as prawns and smaller ones as shrimps. It's called jhinaga, eral, chemmeen, konch in other indian languages. This eral kheema pairs well with any bread, plain rice or pulao.

Eraal kheema / spicy minced shrimp 

Ingredients:
1 lb/ 1/2 kg   shrimp / prawn
1                  onion or 20 - 25 small onions/ shallots/sambar vengayam        
 4 - 6            green chillies
1/4  tsp         sombu / fennel seed
2 clove         garlic
1 tsp             red chilli powder
1 tsp             garam masala
few sprigs     coriander / cilantro leaves
2 tsp             channa flour / kadalai maavu or corn starch   
2 tbs             oil 
salt to taste 
Method:
1. Mince onion, garlic and green chilli and keep it aside,   
2. Clean the shrimp/prawn and cut into small pieces, mix the chopped shrimp with channa flour and garam masala.
3. Heat the oil in a pan, add the fennel seed and fry for few minutes add onion and green chilli.
4. When the onion becomes soft and brown, add garlic and fry. 

5. Add the red chilli powder and salt.  
6. Reduce the heat and add the shrimp/ iraal mix, stir fry and cook till the shrimp is well cooked and the raw smell no longer remains.

                                         ENJOY:)           

Vegetable Choux

Choux is a light pastry dough made with butter, flour, eggs and water. Choux (pronounced - shoo) is baked first at high temperature and finished at low temperature. Instead of leavening agents like the baking soda, yeast or baking powder it's leavened by steam it creates from it's high moisture content and it's initial high cooking temperature. I took this recipe from 5 fruits and vegetables a day - cook book and modified it. 

Spicy vegetable choux

Choux Pastry:
1 1/4 cup            water
4 ounce              butter
5 ounce              all purpose  flour
4                        eggs
4 ounce              cheddar cheese
1 tsp                   chilli powder
salt to taste
    
For the filling:
1/4 cup                 carrots, finely diced 
1/4 cup                 green peas
1/2 cup                 potatoes, finely diced
1/4 cup                 bell pepper, finely chopped 
1                          onion, medium - chopped
2 tbs                     oil
1                          tomato- small, chopped
2 sprigs                coriander leaves, finely chopped
1                          garlic clove, crushed  
1 tsp                     chilli powder 
salt to taste   

Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients together in a skillet, cover it with lid and cook in med/ low till the vegetables are soft.
2. Preheat oven into 400* f. 
3.  To make choux pastry, heat water in a large saucepan. Add the butter to it.
4. Remove from heat when the butter melts, add all the flour to it and stir it well till the dough becomes smooth, allow it to cool slightly.
5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and continue beating till the weather looks glossy. Stir in chilli powder, salt and cheese. 
6. Grease 6 oven proof dishes and pipe or spoon the pastry into the dishes.
7. Divide the vegetables between the six dishes, add spoonful of cheese over the vegetables
8. Bake it in the oven for about 25 - 35 minutes or until the choux pastry is puffy and golden.
9. Serve hot.
                                            ENJOY:) 

Vegetables...

Melt the butter...

cook the flour ...

Add egg one at a time..

Spoon or pipe the flour into a dish..

vegetable choux..

ready to bake :)

  

Porulvilanga Urundai / Mystery Balls

       This is one of the sweets you cannot find in a regular sweet stall in Tamilnadu- India. My grandma used to make this sweet whenever she visited us. It has this funny name, porul + vilanga + urundai, which is translated as, unknown round thing (!?!)    

Porulvilanga Urundai

As I said before, this blog is for my daughter and my nieces. I want them to learn about some of the traditional food and sweet i know. My older sister was one of the li'l helpers, who helped my grandma then, i got this recipe from her. It's a simple recipe made with powdered rice and vellam / jaggery / sugar syrup.  

rice, jaggery and spices...

Ingredients:
1 cup       uncooked rice
3/4 cup    water
3/4 cup  *jaggery / vellam     
1/2"         dried ginger
1 pinch    salt
2             cardamom  
2 tbs        dried coconut pieces
* made with unrefined cane sugar juice or with the sap of date palm tree.
Method:
1. Heat a pan and dry roast the rice till it becomes puffed and light brown in color, let it cool for some time. 
2. Grind the rice, dried ginger and cardamom in a blender / grinder to a fine powder. 
3. Sift the rice flour with a sieve to separate any remaining coarse rice, grind it again to a fine flour. Reserve 2 tbs flour for dusting.
4. In a separate saucepan heat the water and add the jaggery and salt, stir it till the jaggery gets dissolved. Remove from heat and strain it to remove any impurities in it.
5. Pour the liquid in the pan again and boil it for 5 more mins, to get a thick sugar syrup, remove from heat.
6. Make a mound of the flour on a flat work surface.
7. Create a hollow/ well in the middle of the mound and add spoonfuls of sugar syrup into it and stir the mixture with a fork.  
8. Make small balls with the wet flour. Roll the balls real quick as it tends to become dry and hard very soon. Coat the balls with the reserved flour. 
9. Allow it to cool and store it in an airtight container. This sweet has longer shelf life.
                                             Enjoy:)

dry roast the rice....

sift the flour and reserve some for dusting...

boil the sugar syrup....

mound the flour...

add the sugar syrup to the flour..

stir the mixture with a fork

hardened sweet balls ready 

Banana Leaf Wrapped Fish in Tangy Bell Pepper Sauce

    To make this tangy and spicy fish: 1.*sear the fish 2. make the sauce with bell peppers and green mango 3. fold it in a banana /plantain leaf and steam it. Foil can be used instead of banana leaf.  Sometimes i'll leave out the steaming process and just pour the sauce over the browned fish and serve it. In this recipe i used indian mackerel / ayila meen.
*sear - brown the fish in a very hot tawa / pan. 
Bell pepper is also called sweet pepper or capsicum

fish with bell pepper sauce

indian mackerel / ayila 

Prepare fish:

3              medium sized fish / indian mackerel

1 tsp         chilli powder

1 tsp         channa flour / kadalai maavu or corn starch

1/2 tsp      cumin powder / jeera powder

1/2 tsp      coriander powder / dhania podi

1/8 tsp      turmeric powder

1 tsp         lemon juice

1 tbs         oil

salt to taste

marinate the fish 

 Clean the fish, combine all the other ingredients with the lemon juice and apply it to the fish and let it marinate in the refrigerator till the sauce is made.

To make sauce:

bell peppers, mango and onion

2            bell pepper ( red, yellow or orange)

1/2         small green ( unripe mango) 

4 - 5      shallots (small onions / chinna vengayam )

1/2 tsp   chilli powder 

2 tsp      oil      

salt to taste 

1. Slice the bell pepper, peel the cut the mango and the onions.

2. Heat oil in a pan, fry the bell pepper, onion and mango till it becomes tender, add the chilli powder and salt. Grind the vegetables coarsely and keep it aside.

Cook the fish

sear the fish...

1. Heat  a non stick pan on high for few mins (if we sprinkle a drop of water in the pan it should jump and evaporate immediately), 

2. Add oil to the pan and slide the marinated fish, cook till the pan side of the fish gets crusted and it comes off easily from the pan. 

3. Reduce the heat, flip the fish and cook it. Remove from the pan and cook all the remaining fish.

Yummy!
 Aluminium foil can be substituted for plantain leaves. If you think steaming the fish as a time consuming process, place the fried fish on a serving plate, spoon the sauce over it and serve.  

Steam the fish in banana leaf

Banana leaf wrap....

1 tsp          oil

3                banana leaves

1. Coat the banana leaf with oil, spoon 1 tsp of bell pepper sauce on the middle of the leaf, place a fish on the sauce, spoon two more spoons of sauce over the fish.

2. Wrap the leaf and tie it with a string. Continue with the remaining fish. Steam it in a covered pan/ ricecooker/ iddly cooker for 10 minutes.

3. Remove it from heat and serve it with white rice.

      

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. Feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Have a blessed day :) 

Seared fish in a tangy sauce