Rice Flour Breads

Akki Roti

Makes: About 8 Rotis

Rice Flour - 2 cups
Onion - 1 small, finely chopped
Green Chillies - 2
Carrot - 1/2 cup, grated, optional
Coriander leaves - 6-8 strands, finely chopped
Dill leaves - 1/4 cup, finely chopped, optional
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - as required

1. Boil 1 cup of water. Boiling water makes smooth dough to pat and soft rotis to eat.
2. In the meanwhile use a spoon to mix all ingredients other than oil. Add the boiling water and keep it closed for about 10 minutes. The steam from the hot water makes the dough moist.
3. When the dough is cool enough to handle, make a smooth dough. The dough should be of medium softness.
4. Take a sheet or wax paper, smear it generously with oil. Take a handful of dough, make a ball, and pat evenly on the sheet to make a thin layer.
5. Heat a griddle to around 350 F and transfer the roti onto the griddle either by picking from the hand and placing on the griddle if you can, or just turn over the roti onto the griddle and gently remove the wax paper, so that the roti is transferred from the wax paper onto the griddle.
6. Leave if on for about a min and then change sides and heat another 30 secs or until it is done.
Repeat steps 4 to 6 with the rest of the dough.

Serve hot with chutney of your choice.

Sabudana Khichadi

Serves: 4

Sabudana - 2 cups

Raw peanuts - 1/4 cup

Green chillies - 6, sliced lengthwise

Oil - 3 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, for garnishing
Curry leaves - 6

1. Gently wash the sabudana and soak in about 1/2 cup of water for about 8 hours. add more water as desired if the sabudana has absorbed the water.  The end result should not be soggy, so be careful while adding water.
2. Roast the peanuts on medium heat until  they are lightly brown. Cool and powder coarsely and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter.
4. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the cumin seeds and fry until the colour deepens. Then add curry leaves and green chillies and stir for abut a minute.
5. In the meanwhile, gently stir the soaked sago with a spatula so the grains are separated from each other.
6. Add the sabudana to the pan and stir gently to ensure all the ingredients combine together. Cook on a medium-high flame for another 5-6 minutes till the grains turn translucent.
7. Remove from flame and stir in the coarsely powdered peanuts.

8. Garnish with coriander/cilantro and serve hot!

Vermicilli Pulao

Serves: 4

Vermicilli - 2 cups
Vegetables - 1 cup (beans, carrots, peas), diced
Juice of 1 lemon
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon - Clove powder - 1/4 tsp
Onion - 1 medium, chopped finely
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Ghee or Oil - 4 tbsp, divided
Cashews - 8-10
Turmeric - a pinch
Water - 3 cups
Coriander leaves - finely chopped for garnishing

1. In a thick bottomed pan, fry the vermicilli with 1 tbsp of oil or ghee until it evenly browns and set aside.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil and add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for about 1/2 a minute and then add the onions. Stir fry until the onions turn golden brown.
3. Add the vegetables starting with beans, then the carrots and finally peas and cook until the vegetables are almost done.
4. Then add the spices - turmeric, coriander powder, red chilli powder and the cinnamon-clove powder and mix well.
5. After another minute add the water and salt. Bring water to a boil and then add the fried vermicilli.
6. Deep fry the cashews in the remaining oil until they are golden brown and add to the pulao. Add the lemon juice and mix well.

Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve hot!!

Lavish Rice and Mung Dal Bunchi Khichari

Few dishes are as visually and nutritionally well-balanced and appetizingly fragrant as bunchi khichari. Here is a main dish you can always count on for a warm reception. On the one hand, it is a full meal accompanied only by a tossed salad. On the other hand it fits into numerous larger menus, such as summer or fall holiday fare.

Serves: 6

Basmati Rice or other long-grain white rice - 1 cup

Split moong dal - 3/4 cup
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Water - 6 cups
Ghee or a mixture of vegetable oil and unsalted butter - 1/2 cup
Raw cashew bits or halves - 1/3 cup
Sliced Raw Almonds - 1/3 cup
Fresh or dried ribbon coconut - 1/4 cup
Raisins or Currants - 1/3 cup
Cinnamon stick - 3 inch piece
Whole cloves - 8
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Whole dried red chillies - 1-2
Raw Sugar or equivalent sweetener - 2 tbsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Fresh green peas or Frozen baby peas, defrosted - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Butter or ghee - 2 tbsp
Coriander - 3 tbsp, coarsely chopped

1. Clean, wash, drain and soak the rice in warm water for about 10 minutes.

2. Combine the split moong dal, rice, and turmeric in a bowl sprinkle in about 1 tsp of water and stir until the mixture is coated with the turmeric.

3. Heat the ghee or oil-butter mixture in a heavy non-stick pan or directly in the pressure cooker over moderate heat. One after another, separately fry the cashew nuts, almonds, coconut and raisins until they each become golden brown. As the batches brown, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain. Mix well.

4. Increase the heat to moderately high, add the cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin seeds, red chillies and sweetener and fry until the cumin seeds darken and sweetener caramelizes and turns rich reddish-brown.

5. Drop in the asafoetida stir in the rice and dal mixture and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the water, mix in three-fourth of the fried nut, coconut and raisin mixture. If you are using fresh peas, add them now. Pressure cook for one whistle.

6. If you are using frozen peas, add them as soon as you are able to open the pressure cooker without leaving out too much steam and then close the lid of the cooker and let it sit for another 5-8 minutes.

7. Before serving, stir in the salt and 2 tbsp of butter or ghee.

8. Garnish the top with the remaining nut mixture and coriander.

Crispy Puffed Rice Snack with Fried Cashews and Green Peas

This dish can be made with any puffed grain - from moori sold at Indian grocery stores, to supermarket Quaker puffed rice or a health food store puffed brown rice. Serve for breakfast or a light snack

Serves: 2

Ghee or a mixture of sunflower oil and unsalted butter - 1/4 cup
Split raw peanuts - 1/3 cup
Cashew pieces - 1/3 cup
Minced fresh ginger root - 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Ground coriander - 1 tsp
Ground cumin - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Steamed fresh peas or frozen baby peas, defrosted - 3/4 cup
Puffed rice - 2 1/2 cups
Fine popcorn salt - 1/2 tsp
Date or maple sugar - 1 tsp, optional

1. Heat the ghee or oil-butter mixture in a heavy pan over moderate heat for about 1 minute. Add the peanuts and fry until they turn golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
2. Fry the cashew nut until golden brown, then remove and set aside with the peanuts
3. Drop in the minced ginger, chillies, turmeric, coriander, cumin and asafoetida, one after another in a quick succession, and fry for no more than 3-4 seconds.
4. Immediately add the peas, raise the heat to moderately high and cook for about 2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and add the puffed rice, ad stir until it is well coated with powdered spices. Add the nuts, salt and sugar. Mix well.

Serve hot and crisp.

Idli Upma

Serves : 2

Idlis 7-8
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad daal - 1 tsp
Gram daal - 1/2 tsp
Green chilies 2, finely chopped
Ginger - 1/4 inch finely chopped
Onions - 1/2 cup finely chopped
Turmeric - a pinch
Coconut - 1 tbsp, optional
Coriander leaves - 2-3 strands - finely chopped, optional
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt

1. Powder the idlis with hand. There should not be big lumps.
2. Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they start popping up, add the channa daal and the urad daal and stir until they turn golden brown
3. Add the curry leaves, and green chillies. Fry for about 1/2 a min
4. Add the copped onions and ginger and stir until the onions are soft and translucent.
5. Add turmeric and powdered idlis. Mix well. If requir5ed, add salt (Idlis will have salt, so be careful while adding extra salt). Stir fry until they mix up well.
6. Garnish with coconut and chopped coriander leaves.

Pav Bhaaji

Serves: 4

Pav bread - 1 packet
Potatoes - 4 large
Pav Bhaaji masala - 4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Carrot - 3/4 cup, shredded
Peas - 3/4 cup
Onions - 2 medium, finely chopped
Tomato - 2 medium finely chopped
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

- For the paav bread
1. Break the bread along the marking and then slit it
2. Heat a non-stick flat griddle and spread about half teaspoon of butter. grill each side of the bread

- For the bhaaji
1. First boil the potatoes and carrot+peas separately with minimum water for the carrot+peas
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet, add onion and fry until the onions are soft and the edges are brown
3. Then add the pav bhaaji masala, red chilly powder, salt, tomatoes, and 1/4 cup of water
4. Stirring constantly fry tomatoes on medium-low heat for 5 -8 minutes or until the tomatoes are reduced to pulp, mashing tomatoes with the back of the spoon. add little water if the mixture sticks to the bottom of the skillet.
5. In the meanwhile, mash the potatoes completely and also mash the carrot+peas slightly. add these to the skillet along with the water used for boiling the carrot+peas
6. Cook on low heat while mixing the contents until all the ingredients blend
7. Then add the garam masala, heat for another min and remove from heat. keep the skillet closed for about 2 min

My favourite way of serving with the pav is, to sprinkle generously "finely chopped onions", and coriander on the bhaaji and with a 1/4 inch piece of lemon.

Mooli Paratha

Makes : 6 parathas

Dough:
Wheat flour - 2 cups
Ghee - 2tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Water- 1 cup

Filling:
Mooli - 2 cups, grated
Water - for soaking
Onion - 1 cup, finely chopped
Pudina - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
Jeera - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 4, finely chopped
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - a pinch
Oil - 1 tbsp

1. Add salt to thte grated mooli and soak for about 15 min.
2. Squeeze out all the water from the mooliand use it for kneading dough.
3. Heat oil in a medium pan and add jeera, then green chillies and onion, fry for around 2 min
4. Then add the pudina and stir fry till the onions become soft and turn brownish
5. Now add the grated mooli and cook until the mooli gives out all the water and we have a dry stuffing
6. In a medium bowl sift together the flour and salt. add the ghee to get a meal like mixture. Add the mooli water and mix. If the mixture is too dry, add more water one tablespoon at a time to get an elastic, tacky dough that is not sticky. Knead for a couple of minutes.
7. Cover dough with a damp kitchen towel and set aside for around 30 minutes.
8. Now make small balls of the dough a little bigger than an egg.
9. Flatten them out, dip in dry flour and roll them out using a rolling pin to a teacup saucer size. You may have to flour the dough lightly as you roll to prevent sticking and tearing.
10. Make smaller balls of the filling mix about the size of an egg yolk and place each filling ball in the center. Place the stuffed dough fold-side up, dust both sides with a bit of flour and roll out carefully into a 6 inch round.
11. Heat a non-stick flat griddle and spread about half teaspoon of butter. Grill each side of the paratha until cooked (little brown spots will appear across the surface). Remove onto plate and top with a pat of butter.

Serve immediately with curd or/and pickle

Cooks Tip:
- If at any point, you can't get past sticky, oil your hands lightly and continue kneading. the dough will come together in short order.
- With every roll out, keep turning the dough clockwise by 15 degrees to make sure that it doesn't stick. if at any point, the dough sticks or the filling starts coming out, pat with flour and continue carefully. It is ok to have some filling peeking out in spots.

Bhel Puri

Serves: 4

Puffed rice - 4 cups
Potato - 2 cups, boiled, peeled, mashed
Red onion - 1 cup, finely chopped
Ripe tomato - 1 cup, finely chopped
Carrot - 1/2 cup, grated (optional)
Gram flour Sev - 1 cup
Green mango - 2 tbsp, grated
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Tamarind Date chutney - 3 tbsp
Mint Coriander chutney - 3 tbsp
Coarsely crushed papdi – 1 handful (a biscuit like snack made from flour)
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Chaat masala - to taste
Coriander powder - a pinch
Red chilli powder - a pinch
Garam masala - a pinch
Salt - to taste

1. To the boiled and mashed potatoes add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well and set aside
2. Take the puffed rice in a large bowl, and to it add the chutneys, onions, tomatoes, papdi, half of the Sev, lemon juice ad chaat masala. Mix well
3. Divide the bhel puri into 4 equal portions and top them equally with the remaining Sev, raw mango and coriander leaves.

Masala Dosa

Serves: 4

Long grained rice - 1 1/2 cups
Idli rice - 1/2 cup
Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds/Methi seeds- 2 tbsp
Chana dal - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

1. Wash and soak all ingredients (other than salt) together for atleast 6 hrs
2. Drain and reserve the water and grind both separately in a blender to a fine paste, adding some the reserved water as needed (if the grinder/blender seizes up) until the mixture is of batter consistency.
3. Add the salt, and mix thoroughly; keep overnight to ferment
4. The next day, check the batter; make sure that the batter has fermented (notice increase in volume).
Wait till fermentation which depends on the weather conditions. When it is ready to be used, add some water if too thick and mix so that it is of a pouring consistency.
5. Heat the tava/griddle on medium-high heat . While pouring the batter bring back to medium.
6. Put little oil/ghee or butter and wipe with paper towel. Pour the a laddle full of dose batter and spread in circualr motion. Pour a little oil (about 1/2 teaspoon) all around the crepe and on the centre as well. Let it cook for about min or untill the edges of dose leaves the tava.

7. Then lower the heat and spread approximately 1 tablespoon of onion chutney evenly all over the dosa. Carefully place 2 tablespoons of simple potato sabji in the centre, fold the the dosa at the middle.

8. Sprinkle a little ghee or butter. Roast for a minute or two. Remove from flame, top it with another tsp of butter and serve immediately with coconut chutney.

Alternatively, stuff the dosa with the aloo sabji only, and serve the onion chutney as a dip.

Idli

Serves: 8-10

Idli rice - 1 cup
Rice - 1 cup
Urad daal/uddina bele - 3/4 cup
Pre-cooked rice - 1/4 cup
Salt - 2 tbsp

1. Wash and soak the 2 types of rice together, the urad separately for about 8 hours. Soak the pre-cooked rice separately for about 8 hrs also.
2. While grinding, grind the soaked urad daal first, the batter should be very fine, smooth to the point to looking foamy. Set the urad dal paste aside.
3. Then grind the pre-cooked rice. Add the soaked rice to this and grind to a smooth paste.The rice batter also needs to be fine, but can be a little coarse compared to the urad daal batter.
4. Mix the rice and the urad daal batter together and let it ferment overnight.
5. Morning, check if the batter has fermented (notice increase in volume and some sour smell). If it fermented, then add the salt and mix well.
6. Steam the idlis in a pressure cooker or idli cooker for about 10-12 minutes.

Cooks tips:
- Fermentation which depends on the weather conditions and mix the batter well before cooking using a idli stand in the cooker

- Enough water to withstand 10-12 minutes of steaming should be added to a pressure cooker before using to cook idlis

Spicy Poha

Gojjavalakki

Serves: 4

Thick Poha/Avalakki - 2 cups
Jaggery - 2 one inch cubes
Tamarind - about the size of a lemon
Rasam powder - 2 tbsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Peanut - 1/4 cup
Channa daal - 2 tbsp
Urad daal - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chillies - 8
Curry leaves - 8-10
Coriander - 6-8 strands
Dry coconut - 1/4 cup (optional)
Oil - 2 tbsp

1. Pulse the poha in a blender a couple of times, so that it is crushed coarsely,  and set aside.Make sure not to powder it too smooth.
2. Mix the jaggery, tamarind, salt and rasam powder in 3 cups of water and place on stove on low heat. Keep stirring until all the jaggery and salt dissolves. Do not boil the water. Mild heating is good enough.
3.Pour the spiced water on the crushed poha in batched while mixing continuously. Add enough of it to make the poha damp. Be careful not to add too much water and make a paste of the the poha.
4. Cover and let soak. After about 15-20 minutes, check if the poha is too dry. If it is add little more of the spiced water and soak for another 15-20 minutes. The poha would have absorbed the spices well, by now.
5.  Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add the asafoetida, and peanuts. Fry for about 20 seconds, so that the peanuts are slightly done before add the channa dal and urad dal.
6. After add the channa dal and urad dal, fry on low heat until all the dals turn uniformly brown. Then add red chillies and fry until their colour deepens.
7 Immediately add the poha, turn off the heat and mix well. Once mixed heat, turn the heat on again and just mix the contents while the heat is on until the poha becomes a little warm.
8. Garnish with coriander and serve hot

Khara Pongal

Serves: 2

Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Rice - 1/2 cup
Water - 2 1/2 cups
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green chilles - 3
Pepper - 1 tsp, coarsely ground
Jeera - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 5
Coriander - 4-5 strands
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Cashews

1. Fry the moong dal in a pan until the colour of the dal slightly deepens and it gives out a nice aroma
2. Cook the moong dal, rice, water, and salt in a pressure cooker for one whistle.
3. Heat oil in a large pan, fry the cashews until golden brown. Remove them from the pan.
4. Add the mustard seeds and wait till they crackle. Then add the curry leaves, green chillies, pepper powder, jeera and stir
5. Now add the cooked rice+dal to the pan and stir well
6. Garnish with coriander and cashews

Pongal can be served with coconut chutney or raitha as an accompaniment.

Vegetable Upma

Khara Bath/Uppittu/Rava Upma

Serves : 2

Coarse rava/Upma rava - 1 cup
Cooking oil - 4 tbsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 5-6
Green chillies - 4, finely chopped
Ginger - 1 tsp, grated, optional
Onion - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Water - 2 1/2 cups
Salt - to taste
Coriander - 4-5 strands
Coconut - 1/4 cup, optional
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Carrot - 1/4 cup, diced
Beans - 1/4 cup, diced
Peas - 1/4 cup
Potatoes - 1/4 cup diced
Lemon juice - 1/4 tsp

1. Roast the Rava/Sooji/Semolina on low flame in 1 tbsp of cooking oil until the toasted aroma of Semolina waffles through. Transfer it to a plate.
2. Heat remaining oil in a non-stick pan. Add mustard and when it begins to splutter add urad dal and chana dal. Stir for a minute till the dals slightly brown.
3. Add curry leaves, green chillies, grated ginger, stir for about 1/2 a min or until the ginger is done.
4. Add the onions and stir till the onions become soft or golden brown.
5. Add the vegetables and cook till the vegetables are slightly done.
6. Add the water and bring to boil, then add salt.
7. Add the roasted Rava/Semolina in small batches and stir in between. Make sure no lumps are formed. (Do not put all the rava at once in the boiling liquid).
8. Close the lid of the vessel and cook on low-medium heat for about 2 min or until the rava is done.
9. Garnish with coriander, lemon juice and fresh coconut. Serve Hot!

Variation 1: Averekalu Upma
Upma can be made only with the averekalu(1 cup) in place of the vegatables. Averekalu to be added at the same point as the vegetables.

Variation 2: Simple Khara Bath
Upma can be made without the vegetables

Variation 3: Festival Khara Bath
Upma without onion and vegetables, this tastes better when the "optional" coconut is added.