Soornali or Surnali or Sweet Set Dosa

This is a breakfast regular at my parents home. My mom makes this early in the morning and the whole smells with the sweet aroma of the dosa and the jaggery cooking on the iron griddle. The sweet aroma would make us wake earlier than usual :) The sweet surnali with butter and honey is beyond description and one must taste it to enjoy the wonderful soft dosa along with the butter melting due to the heat of the surnali. The non-sweet version of this dosa can be made by skipping the jaggery, but I always prefer the sweet version. Methi or fenugreek seeds are added to facilitate fermentation and to make the dosa more softer.

Ingredients

2 cups rice (preferably raw rice)
3/4 cup pova or beaten rice (thin)
1/2 cup butter milk or 1/2 cup curd
1/4 teaspoon methi seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 cup gur or jaggery(skip, if you want the non-sweet version)


Method

Soak rice and methi seeds for 6-8 hours. Rinse the soaked rice and methi. Wash the pova and drain the water. Grind rice, methi, curd or buttermilk, pova and coconut to make the dosa batter. You should feel the coarse rice pieces in the batter and the batter should not be very fine in texture. Make sure that the batter is not too runny.

Cut the jaggery into very small pieces using a knife and mix it along with turmeric powder into the batter. If you don't want to make sweet dosa, you may skip the jaggery. Another option is to grind the jaggery pieces with the batter. Keep it in a warm place overnight for fermentation. The batter will rise and will double in volume. 
Heat a non-stick tava or griddle and rub it with oil. Pour ladle full of batter on the tava and gently spread it from center with a spoon. It is very similar to making pancakes. The dosa should not be very thin, so take care not to spread the batter on the griddle as you do for masala dosa. Cover and cook the dosa. This dosa is to be cooked only on one side and should not be flipped to the other side. Hence, it should be cooked on a very low flame till the top of the dosa looks well done.

Serve the sweet surnali with a dollop of butter and honey. The non-sweet version can be served with chutney or pickle.

Preparation time: 45 minutes excluding the soaking time.

Serves: 4-5

Paneer Sabzi

Last week I had delicious salmon curry at my friend P's home. She found a new recipe on the internet and modified it as per her taste to make dry salmon curry. My husband Atul doesn't eat meat, so I tried the same recipe and substituted paneer instead of salmon. The verdict- awesome paneer curry with a new twist!

Ingredients
1 cup cubed paneer
1 cup thick curd
1 medium onion
1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
1 medium tomato
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sugar
salt for taste
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
1/4 teaspoon pav bhaji masala powder
handful coriander leaves
1.2 teaspoon butter
oil for frying

Method
Saute the paneer cubes in 2 tablespoon oil till light brown. Grind the onion, garlic, ginger into a fine paste. Add 2 tablespoon oil in a pan and fry the paste till the raw smell disappears. Puree the tomato and add it to the paste and fry till the tomato is cooked. Cool it down completely. Add curd and the rest of the ingredients except the paneer and salt. Heat the masala on a very low flame (I heat it on 2 on the range of 1-9). If the flame is high the curd curdles and the masala becomes watery. Heat it for around 10 minutes stiring occasionally. Add the paneer and cook it on low flame for another 15 minutes or till the paneer has absorbed all the masala. If the masala is very thick then warm milk can be added to make the masala liquidish. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Mooli Raita / Radish Salad

I was wondering the other day when I published the Mooli sabzi recipe "Why have I not put the mooli raita recipe yet?". We have this raita every other week and especially in this season when mooli is available in plenty. This raita tastes great as a side dish with spicy sabzis and helps to cool down the pungent flavor of chillies. I also love this as a side dish with alu or mooli parathas.

Ingredients
1 mooli or radish
1/2 cup curd or yogurt
3 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
chopped green chillies or red chili powder
salt for taste

Method
Wash and peel the skin off the radish. Grate the radish and apply 1/2 teaspoon salt to it. Keep it aside for 20 minutes. Squeeze the water from the radish. Mix in curd, chopped green chiles/chili powder, chopped corianader leaves. Adjust salt for taste. Serve immediately.

Mooli Sabzi / Radish Sabzi

I am very satisfied on the days when we are done with our dinner earlier than usual and have time available to relax and catch up on other things like reading or watch TV. Yesterday was one of such days when made a quick (count 20 minutes) and simple sabzi from the fresh organic radish or mooli I got from Farmer's market. Another of my favorite buy at the Farmer's market during the Fall and Winter are the freshly picked zucchini blossoms. I use these to make tava-fried fritters. Other than that I buy pumpkins in plenty as they are a rich source of vitamin A. We usually make radish salad with curd or lemon. But in the cold winters I do not find it very pleasant to eat the cold curd salad, though it is my husband's favorite. So I modify the radish dish and make radish sabzi. This is ready in a jiffy and tastes great. The fresher the radishes, the better the sabzi tastes.

Ingredients
2-3 radishes with leaves
1/4 teaspoon haldi or turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
pinch of asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon jeera powder or cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon dhania powder or coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon amchur or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon oil
salt for taste

Method
Wash, scrape and grate the radishes. Chop the leaves into small pieces. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and asafoetida. Fry for a minute and add turmeric powder and red chili powder. Then add the coriander powder and cumin powder to the seasoning. Add the grated raddish and the leaves and mix it well with the seasoning. Cook covered for 8-10 minutes till the radish is tender and the leaves are cooked. Add amchur or lemon juice and salt as per taste. Serve hot with roti.

Top 10 foods that make you feel full -TOI

I love to read the Diet section under Health and Fitness on our own desi online newspaper TOI . It was my favorite newspaper and I read it regularly when I was in India. I always waited for the Sunday section as the Sunday special section always had a variety of articles on health and lifestyle and latest fashion in town. We do not get any news paper here in US as the newspapers are full of Ads and hardly any useful news. Hence we mostly browse the online TOI daily to get the lastest ongoings in India and the world. TOI had introduced many new sections in the online version in the last few years which contain some of the very informative articles and columns. Here [1]is one of the articles I recently read on TOI and which I thought was worth making a note of.

Top 10 foods that make you feel full[1]

Fatty Fish
Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring and sardines contain large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids which, besides lowering cholesterol, also hasten the metabolism rate. Omega-3 fatty acids alter the level of leptin — a hormone that directly influences metabolism and determines whether you burn calories or store them as fat. Fish also provides ample protein and the best way to eat it is grilled, with steamed vegetables on the side.

Citrus Fruits
Fruits such as grapefruit, lemon, sweet lime, papaya, guava and tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C and fibre. Vitamin C helps the body process fat faster and also stimulates the amino acid known as carnitine — carnitine speeds up the body’s fat-burning capacity. Citrus fruits also have high water content and provide around 50 to 75 kcal, leaving us satiated for a longer period of time.

Green Vegetables
Spinach, asparagus and broccoli have a high thermic effect on the body and a low calorie density. This means that it’s almost impossible for them to be stored as fat because most of their calories are burned off in the digestion process. Apart from that, the fibre in these foods provides roughage and contains antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that help you feel full.

Popcorn
Popcorn is rich in fibre and low on calories. Also, since eating it keeps our mouth busy for a longer time, the satiety levels are high. However stay away from the overly buttered, caramel and cheese cousins.

Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate which takes longer to digest — hence it releases energy slowly, keeping you feeling full for longer. It also keeps blood sugar and insulin levels stable, which helps prevent fat storage. Oatmeal is the most satisfying breakfast cereal, providing more protein per serving than any other grain. Mix it with yoghurt or skimmed milk and it’ll keep you full all morning.

Almond and Walnuts
Raw, unsalted nuts, especially almonds and walnuts, provide essential roughage, protein, fat, minerals and micronutrients. Munching on handfuls of these nuts keeps you full and energetic for longer without adding to your waistline.

Low-Fat Dairy Products
Skimmed milk, low fat cheese and yoghurt are a good source of calcium, which helps break down fat cells. Some studies indicate that not getting enough calcium may trigger the release of calcitrol, a hormone that causes fat storage.

Beans
Beans are high in fibre and a good source of protein. They also take longer to digest, making you feel full for a longer time. Also, protein has the highest satiety index (which determines how long will you feel full) than any other element.

Whole grains
Jowar, bajra and ragi contain complex carbohydrates, which release glucose slowly when broken down during digestion. The glucose helps in maintaining your blood sugars levels and combats sugar craving. They are also a rich source of fibre and Vitamin B complex that play an important role in metabolic control.

Apples
High water content and ample fibre is the reason why you feel full after eating an apple. An apple’s skin contains pectin soluble fibre that is a natural appetite suppressant. Seems like an apple a day keeps the weight away.


Reference: [1]Sneha Jain (2009, October ). Top 10 foods that make you feel full. The Times Of India. Retrieved from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/Top-10-foods-that-make-you-feel-full/articleshow/4890340.cms

Noodle Soup

This is another of comfort food recipe for the cold-cold winters. We love it as has the enriching nutrients of the vegetables and the great texture of the noodles. I use maggi noodles for this soup, but hakka noodles or rice noodles can also be used. Serve it hot and you have a one course healthy and delish meal ready in minutes. I make these noodles without using the maggi tastemaker masala which is included with the noodles. But if you want an Indian- spicy flavored soup, the tastemaker masala can be added to the soup.

Ingredients

1 cup of prepared noodles (wheat or rice noodles--I use maggi noodles without the masala)
1 medium onion
1 cup chopped vegetables (cabbage, peas, carrot, cauliflower, zucchini, corn kernels)
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
salt and pepper for taste
1 tablespoon oil

Method
Slice the onions thinly. Heat oil in a pan and add the ginger and the sliced onions. Fry till the onions are light brown and well cooked. Add the chopped vegetables and cook covered for 3-4 minutes till the vegetables are soft. Cook uncovered for another 4-5 minutes, so that the vegetables are lightly browned. Add salt and pepper for taste. Mix in the noodles and add 3 cups of water or as desired. Stir in vinegar and soy sauce. Serve hot.