Healthy Monsoon Munchies

Published in Citizen matters on 9th July 2013: Enjoy the rains with these Healthy Monsoon Munchies

Grilled Sabzi/ Curry Sandwiches 

While you are tempted to eat some hot snacks during the rains, why not make the snack a bit more healthy? Here are some tips: click here to read more.

Neer Dosa (A Manglorean delicacy)

Neer Dosa

Neer Dosa (neer=water and dosa=crepe) is a no-ferment dosa which is a speciality of Manglorean cuisine. The name "Neer Dosa"is derived from the fact that the batter is almost of the consistency of water which is unlike other dosa batters. The resulting thin lace-like dosas (nick-named "lace dosas" by an aunt of mine) is eaten with relish in all Manglorean homes.
Made from rice, the rice grains are soaked in water for about 2 hours, then ground to a fine thin(water-like) batter. Once the batter is ready it is poured onto a hot round iron griddle(most Manglorean houses have a separate griddle kept aside for neer dosas). The sizzle on the pan creates the craters or lace-like appearance.

Ingredients:Makes 15-20 dosas
Rice: 2 cups
Water: enough to make a thin (water-like) batter
Oil: 1tbsp
Salt: to taste

Method:
1)Soak the rice in water for at least 2 hours.
2)Grind to a fine,thin consistency.Add a little salt and mix well.
3)Heat the iron griddle till it's really,really hot.
4)Spread a little oil. Usually an onion is cut into half and dipped into the oil and used as a brush to spread the oil (this is believed to make the pan non-stick).
5)Pour a ladle full of batter into the center of the griddle and let it spread by itself (do not spread)on the griddle (add extra if needed where required to make a perfect circular dosa).
6)Cover and let it cook (do not flip the dosa over)
7)When done, remove the neer dosa gently with a spatula.
8)Serve the with neer doss chutney, honey or kori gussi (chicken curry).

Neer Dosa /Lace-Dosa

Palak Chutney(Spicy spinach chutney)

Palak Chutney (Spicy spinach Chutney)

The original recipe uses tendli/tondli(ivy gourd) leaves,but since that isn't available everywhere, had to substitute with palak.The resulting Palak Chutney was quite close to the 'tondekai/tondli chutney' that I remember. Here are the ingredients for the Palak Chutney:

Ingredients:
Palak(baby)/Baby spinach-2 cups chopped
Garlic-5 cloves(crushed)
Ginger-1" piece
Cilantro/coriander leaves-1 cup
Green chillies-6-7nos(or according to taste)
Roasted channa dal-2 tbsp
Roasted groundnut-2tbsp
Hung yogurt/curd-3tbsp(sour)
Salt-to taste
Oil-1tsp

Method:
1)Heat the oil in a pan,add the garlic and green chillies and saute for a couple of minutes.
2)Add the chopped baby spinach and saute till they are cooked.Let it cool.
4)In a mixer grinder-add the channa dal,groundnuts,cilantro,ginger,salt and the cooked palak.
5)Make a fine paste.
6)Pour the palak chutney into a bowl. Add the yogurt and mix well. Test for salt.

Palak chutney tastes great even without the addition of the yogurt/curd at the end(add a little tamarind). I just love the creaminess that the yogurt adds to the palak chutney.
Serve the palak chutney with idlis/dosas, as a spread for sandwiches,a dip or as a side with your meal.

Dahi-batata Chaat Towers(Yogurt and potato Chaat)

Dahi-batata chaat towers

A 'chaat' is a kind of street food that probably combines all the tastes(sweet, spicy, tangy, salty) and all the textures(crunchy, gooey, soft, crispy) that food can be made into. In India,there are different types of chaats-the most popular being bhel puri, pani puri, sev puri and so on and so forth(oh my-just writing about them is making my mouth water). What started as a street food is now also on the menu of most big restaurants,because let's face it-it's something which all Indians love!!!
Besides bhel-puri,my all time favourite chaat is anything which has 'dahi'/yogurt. I love the taste of yogurt when it's mixed with a spicy cilantro chutney and the sweet-n-spicy tamarind and date chutney. I found some Quaker puffed rice cakes (which claims to have 5gms of fiber/cake and is made of whole grain brown rice)at the grocery store and instantly visions of 'chaat' flashed across my mind. I used the rice cakes as a base and built the chaat tower on it. Here's what went onto the rice cakes:
Ingredients:(Serves 2)

• Rice cakes: 4
• Spicy cilantro chutney/Green apple chutney: 4 tbsps
• Boiled potatoes: 2 (coarsely crumbled)
• Onions: 2-3 tbsp finely chopped
• Tomatoes: 3 tbsp finely chopped
  
• Cilantro/coriander leaves: 3 tbsp finely chopped
• Green chillies:1-2 finely chopped(optional)
• Plain yogurt: 3-4 tbsp
  
• Tamarind-date chutney: 3 tbsp
• Sev: 4tsp
• Chaat masala: 2tsp
  

Method:

1. Spread some spicy cilantro chutney/green apple chutney on the rice cake.
2. Layer it with a mixture of boiled potatoes,chopped onions,cilantro,tomatoes and green chillies(optional).
3. Slowly drizzle some yogurt and some tamarind-date chutney over it.
4. Finally sprinkle a teaspoon of sev and some chaat masala over it and your chaat is ready!!

You can even add some sprouts or some tangy fruits to add in some more flavors and textures.
Eating the towers can be a little messy,but it's worth a try!!






Question: What is your favorite street food?

Moong Dosa or Pesarattu(Savoury Mung Crepes) with Green Peas chutney

Moong Dosa (Pesarattu) with Green Peas Chutney

A 'green' breakfast in tune with all the colours of springtime!! This dish is packed with protein and makes a healthy start to your day.
This is an easy version of the pesarattu(as there is no fermenting required).My mom learnt to make this moong dosa from one of our neighbours and as a kid I was not too fond of this 'green' dosa,but of course now it's a totally different story. There are so many things that we hate as kids,but as grown ups we have a totally different take on it.
The peas chutney recipe is from my mother-in-law.I had never heard of(forget tasting) 'peas chutney' until she had made it for breakfast one day. I had to call her up to get this recipe and she was just so thrilled about it.
Moong dosa/Pesarattu (Mung Bean Crepes):
Ingredients:

• Whole Mung: 1 cup (soak in water overnight)
• Green chillies: 1 or 2 nos.
• Ginger:1/2" piece
• Zeera/Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

Method:

1. Grind the soaked mung,green chilly, ginger and salt to a fine paste of pancake/dosa consistency(add about a cup of water while grinding)
2. Add the cumin seeds and mix well.
3. Heat a non-stick pan,when it's hot, pour a ladleful of the dosa batter and spread.
4. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes.
5. Remove the cover, check if the dosa has cooked.Then,flip the dosa and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Remove and serve hot with chutney.

Note:It's usually served with freshly chopped onions sprinkled on top as a garnish(I made this for breakfast and since hubby won't dream of eating raw onions and heading to work,I had to omit it).
Green peas chutney:
Ingredients:

• Fresh/frozen green peas: 1 cup
• Green chillies/Serrano: 1/2 or 1 no.
• Salt: to taste
• Mustard seeds:1/2 teaspoon
• Zeera/Cumin seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
• Sesame seeds:1/2 teaspoon
• Lime juice:1 teaspoon
• Oil:1 teaspoon

Method:

1. Grind the peas(thaw first if frozen), green chillies and salt to a fine paste. Keep aside in a bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a pan,add the mustard,cumin and sesame seeds.When the mustard starts to sputter,remove from flame.
3. Pour this tempering on the chutney and mix,then add the lime juice and mix well.
4. Serve with dosa's or use as a spread with sandwiches or wraps.

Question: Is there anything that YOU hated as a kid,but don't seem to hate it anymore?

My "3 teaspoon oil" meal !!

If I can dish it up, so can YOU!! Here's a 'dekko' at the yumptious Indian thali meal(served in the thali plate I manged to get from India). The meal consists of:

• Rice (ran out of brown rice,so it was the 'white rice')
• Dal('Mung' dal-recipe courtesy Sharath M)- 1tsp oil for tempering
• Dry sabzi(khol rabi leaves, potatoes, capsicum)-1 tsp oil
• Chutney( roasted channa dal, cilantro)-1tsp oil for tempering
• Khol rabi salad
• Fat free yogurt/curd

Nothing fancy-just the regular fare cooked with just the minimum amount of oil(the only innovative thing I did was to include the khol rabi leaves with the 'alu+capsicum' sabzi). So no recipes. Anyone can make a healthy meal of the day-to -day fare,and remember portion sizes also matter!
Bon appetit!