Ever tried any of these??

I'm really curious..........about what?? Has anybody out there ever eaten or even seen any of these:

• Fifth Third Burger-at Fifth Third baseball park (Comstock Park,Michigan)
• Mega Mel Burger- at Mel's Country Cafe (Texas)
• 7-pound burrito- at Jack n Grills (Denver)
• Fried Banana Split- at the Texas State Fair
• Shack Stack- at Shake Shack (New York)

What's so great about these,and why am I so curious about some burgers/burritos/banana split??
I was just browsing through an article on WebMD,and it lists them as 5 of the most fattening food!! How fattening can they be? Here are the numbers (and yes,please keep in mind that most of us require less than 2,000 calories per day).

• Fifth Third Burger :4,800 calories
• Mega Mel Burger :4,556 calories
• 7-pound burrito : 3,764 calories
• Fried Banana Split : 2,000 calories
• Shack Stack : 1,500 calories

4,800 calories in one burger!!!! That's like the amount of calories your body would require in, say, two and a half days! Imagine getting 2 days worth of calories in one meal (that probably is their USP!). Seriously-I need to see these. Are they really large burgers(like the one's Jughead would order at Pop Tate's in the Archie comics I grew up reading)? Can a person really eat it in one go-or do they share it with someone or rather some people? If someone does eat it-do they feel hungry at the next meal or are they stuffed enough to skip the next meal/meals??
Source: WebMD: Extreme Eating: 5 Most Fattening Foods Ever!

Eating out always has it's downside-the cost,the hidden calories. So,what does one do? Stop eating out-well,not really. If you choose wisely you could end up with good healthy foods that are also "pocket friendly". Check out these cool slide show : Healthy Eating at Restaurants.

Question: Do you think it would be a good idea to put the calorie content next to the dish in the menu?

Masala Dosa( Savoury Crepes with Potato filling)

Where's the potato?

I've never been a potato fan,and no it has nothing to do with the fact that I happen to be a dietitian(I've always had people saying "oh-is it because you're a dietitian?". I still don't see the connection).To set the record straight ,I hated it even as a kid, when I had no idea 'what' or 'who' a "Dietitian" was!!
Anyway,later on I had a colleague who hated peas,and we made a happy pair since 'alu mutter sabzi' or simply put 'Potatoes peas curry' is a very popular combo in India. At work,with no parents around,we would happily pick and dump what we disliked into each others plate (me the alu/potatoes and she the mutter/peas). There are only two ways that I'd happily eat the potaoes-in the 'masala dosa' or as 'chips'.
Wondering why I'm delving into my love-hate relationship with potatoes-because it happens to be the BSI (Blogger's Secret Ingredient) for this week chosen by Christo at 'Chez What?'. I had to really make up my mind as to which dish to send-the one's which I make and 'have' to eat as the hubby likes it OR the one's that I can 'happily' eat but are too cumbersome to make,well at least for me it is(but I can picture my mom laughing at this point),and I chose the latter!
I've never made and never will make chips at home-so that was out of the question.That left me with the masala dosa,and I set about the task of making it first thing Tuesday morning(yes,now you know why I call it cumbersome).So,I stuck a blue post-it on the fridge on Monday night saying "soak rice+dal for the dosa first thing in the morning". Did the needful on Tuesday morning,then in the evening went about grinding the soaked stuff to a fine paste. Kept it overnight, hoping (with fingers crossed) that the weather will be warm enough for it to ferment and woke up this morning to a nicely fermented batter(fingers uncrossed)!!
Ingredients (for the potato filling):

• Potatoes: 4 nos. (boiled and coarsely mashed/cut)
• Green chillies: 1-2 nos. (slit length-wise)
• Onions: 1 large or 2 medium (cut lengthwise-and then cut into half)
• Ginger: 1/2" piece(chopped fine)
  
• Turmeric:1/2 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

For the tempering:

• Oil: 1 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Curry leaves: 2-3 nos.
• Channa dal/split black chickpeas/Myles: 1 teaspoon
• Cashew nuts: 4-5 nos(chopped)

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan,then add the mustard, cumin and the channa dal.
2. When the mustard starts to sputter,add the curry leaves and the cashew nuts and stir till the cashew nuts are brown.
3. Add the ginger and fry till it turns a golden brown.
4. Add the slit green chillies,the chopped onions,turmeric powder,salt and saute till the onions turn translucent.
5. Add the coarsely mashed potatoes and mix well. Add 1/2 cup water and cook stirring continuously for 5-6 minutes. Set aside.

Ingredients (for the dosa):

• Rice: 2 cups
• Urad dal/ Split blackmatpe beans: 1 cup
• Cooked rice: 1 cup (or 1 cup flattened rice/poha)
• Fenugreek seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

Method:

• Wash, then soak the raw rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds in water for at least 4-6 hours.
• Drain the water used for soaking.Add the cooked rice (if using flattened rice-wash,drain and let it stand for at least 10-15 mins), and about a cup of water and grind to a fine paste (should be as thick as the pancake batter).
• Let it ferment overnight (or for 10-12 hours) in a big bowl(the batter will rise if the weather is warm enough).
• Once it has fermented,add salt and mix. Then pour a ladleful of the batter onto a HOT pan and spread the batter with the ladle in a circular motion(going from the centre of the pan to the outside).
• Add a little ghee/butter/oil to the edges of the dosa and let it cook till you notice it getting golden brown from underneath.
• At this stage, place the yellow potato filling at the centre of the dosa and fold from both sides (like a wrap) or you could also fold it from three sides(the resulting dosa would looks like a triangle).
• Remove from the pan.Serve hot with a little cilantro chutney and sambar .
  

There's the potato!!

That's my "fireman" son eating his 'triangle dosa' with non-spicy potato filling (I have to make it separately with no green chillies)!! Phew,what a lot of work,but the result is worth every minute I spent on it! Thanks Christo for choosing the spud as the BSI for this week.
Note:

• Warm weather is crucial for the batter to ferment.
• The pan needs to be really HOT before you start making the dosas.
• The dosas can be made without the potato filling too- then it would be known as 'Plain Dosa' (not as much fun as eating the 'masala' variety).

Question: What is your favourite potato dish?