Kambu Pesarattu / Pearl Millet and Whole Moong Crepe

Pesarattu is a popular breakfast in Andhra cuisine. It's like dosa but made with whole green moong. Crispier, tasty, nutritious, and filling breakfast - who would say no to it. I have tried a variation of this pesarattu. It being the addition of millet - since there is no requirement of adding rice or any other cereal to it. Bajra or pearl millet is packed with proteins, fibers, and minerals and hence added bajra. The end result - very yummy and crispy dosa or pesarattu. 

Ingredients

Pearl millet - 1 cup

Whole green gram - 1 cup

Ginger - 1 in, chopped

Cumin - 1 tsp

Green chili - 1, optional

Salt - 3/4 tsp

Water

Method

Wash and soak the whole moong with pearl millet for 4 to 5 hours. Then drain the water and grind to a smooth batter with the required amount of water. While grinding add chopped ginger, green chillies, and cumin. The batter should be like kind of dosa - not too thick and not too thin.

Heat a griddle or dosa pan, pour a ladle of the batter and spread into a thin dosa. Spray or add a little oil. Once one side is completely cooked, flip and cook the other side for a minute. 

Then serve hot with coconut chutney or any other chutney of your choice.

Tips

Don't oversoak - pesarattu may not taste great.

If the batter is too thick, spreading into a dosa will not be easy. So while grinding make sure the batter is in the correct pourable consistency.

Adjust salt and green chillies according to your taste.

Arisi Upma

Arisi upma is a very traditional tiffin in most brahmin homes. My mom makes yummy upma but I was not a big fan of that when I was young (though I eat it). But later I started missing it. This can be made in a jiffy if you have rice rava in hand. Else also just run in your blender and make rava. Some people add all the ingredients, take it to the miller to be ground to rava texture and store it. My mom has a different way to make this upma - she sprinkles water and soaks the rava, then runs in the blender a couple of times to make uniform sized rava. Today I enjoyed making and eating this upma with her. Here is her simple recipe for the great yet simple and tasty upma. 

Ingredients

Raw rice - 1 and 1/2 cups

Toor dhal - 1 and 1/2 tbsp

Whole black pepper - 1tsp

Split yellow moong dhal - 1 tbsp

Red chilli - 2

Coconut - 2 tbsp, freshly grated

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Water - 2 and 1/2 cups plus 1/4 cup

Seasoning

Coconut oil - 1/4 cup

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Split urad dhal - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaf - 2 sprigs

Method

In a bowl, take the rice and sprinkle 1/4 cup water. Let it soak for 30 mins or so. Run in the blender a couple of times to get uniform sized rava texture. Keep aside.

Run the toor dhal, black pepper, split moong dhal and red chilli in the blender to a coarse texture, similar to the rice rava.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the seasonings and when the spluttering is all done, add the water. When it boils add the coconut and the dhal mixture.

Mix well and add the rice rava. Stir continuously to avoid lumps.

Add salt and stir till all the water is absorbed. Lower the flame and cover and cook for another 5 to 10 min, till the rice is completely cooked and the upma comes out without sticking.

It should be fluffy and flaky. All done. Serve with chutney, sambhar, gothsu, or pickle.

Tips

This upma can be made with any oil. Using coconut oil gives an unusual and unique flavor different from other upmas.

Coconut is optional.

Yellow split moong dhal addition gives a unique flavor but it is optional.

Alternatively, to make this rava, all the ingredients can be mixed and rava can be made in a mill.

Manga pachadi

Happy Tamil New Year!

Our life is mixed with all emotions yet it is beautiful and is a wonderful journey of different experiences. Likewise the manga pachadi, a lip-smacking relish - we prepare on the Tamil New Year is full of all different flavors indicating that our life too is like that. It signifies how we have to take the ups and downs in our life. This traditional manga pachadi has all the flavors - sourness from raw mango, sweetness from jaggery, hotness from chillies, a pinch of salt, and bitterness from neem flowers. Neem flowers (which bloom now in full swing) are fried in ghee and added only on the Tamil new year day. Today being the Tamil New Year, I made this along with my mom (double happiness), and here is my mom's recipe for the awesome manga pachadi. Please try and enjoy with your family!

Ingredients

Raw mango - 1 cup, chunks 1'' size

Jaggery - 3/4 cup plus a tbsp

Salt - a pinch

Rice flour - 1/2 tsp

water

Green chilli - 1, slit lengthwise

Seasoning

Ghee - 2 tsp

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Split urad dhal - 1/2 tsp

Neem flowers - 1 tsp

Method

Take the chopped mangoes, chilli in a pot and pour water till the mangoes are immersed. Cook on a medium flame till the mangoes are cooked. 

Add the jaggery and continue cooking till the jaggery is completely dissolved. If the mixture is too thick add a little water and continue cooking.

Mix the rice flour in 1/4 cup water and add it to the mango jaggery mixture. Continue cooking for a few minutes till the pachadi thickens.

Heat ghee in a pan, add the red chillies, mustard and urad dhal and fry. When mustard starts to splutter add the neem flowers and add to the pachadi.

Enjoy tasty manga pachadi with friends and family!

Tips

The quantity of jaggery depends on the sourness of mango used.

Kilimooku mango variety is the one that we use in our home always to make this pachadi.

Rice flour is the thickening agent used.

If you don't get any fresh neem flowers, you can substitute with a few little dried ones. This pachadi can be made without neem flowers too. 

Sapota Kesari

Sapotas, a great fruit is yummy as such or in milkshakes, smoothies, and icecreams. Many times we make plain kesari or pineapple or mixed fruit kesari. For a change try making this kesari. The hint of sapota flavor is the highlight of this dessert. I am pretty sure you will lick to the bottom of the pan.

Ingredients

Sapota pulp - 1 cup
Rava (cream of wheat) - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup plus 2 tbsp
Cardamom - 1, crushed
Water - 2 cups
Ghee -  8 to 9 tbsp

Method

Peel the fruit and blend it to a puree.

Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan. Fry cashews and raisins till golden brown and keep aside.

In the same pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee and roast rava till nice aroma comes out and keep aside.

In the same pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee, add the sapota pulp and cook for a few mins, till it is all cooked till it doesn't stick in the pan.

Now add the rava, mix well till all the sapota pulp is incorporated into the rava evenly.

Add 2 cups of water and mix so that there are no lumps. Continue cooking till all the water is absorbed and rava is cooked through.

Add sugar and mix well without any lumps Continue cooking till the kesari doesn't stick to the pan or the spatula. By now the kesari will be in the color of sapota (nice color and flavor!).

Add the fried cashews, raisins and remaining ghee. Mix well and take it off the flame.

Yummy sapota kesari is ready to be served. Serve by scoops or pour into a small dish, cut into squares when it is cool, and then serve as individual squares.

Tips

Use only ripe sapotas to make this.

The above-mentioned sugar is just right for us as the fruit also contributes to the sweetness. If you have a sweet tooth please add a couple of spoons of sugar.

Narthampazha Juice / Citronade

Citron or narthangai is an amazing fruit. It is just like lemon, but larger in size, sour and has thick rinds. The unripe fruit is used to make pickles. But the ripe ones are equally tasty. Just go ahead making juice -Citronade -  as yummy as lemonade. It cools the body and a very good thirst quencher.

Ingredients

Juice from citrons - 3/4 cup
Sugar
Ice
Water - 3 cups
Salt - a pinch (optional)
Mint leaves -  for garnish

Method

Squeeze and filter the citrons. Add sugar, salt, water and mix well till sugar dissolves. Add ice, pour in glasses, garnish and enjoy.

Tips

I used 2 large-sized fruits. Use according to the available size of the fruit, preferably ripe ones.

Adjust sugar according to your taste.

If the juice is sour, add a little more water and sugar. Sourness depends on the fruit used.