Vegetable Platter

Davangere Benne Dose (ದಾವಣಗೆರೆ ಬೆಣ್ಣೆ ದೋಸೆ)

Yet another Dosa/Dose very popular in Karnataka is the Davangere Benne Dose. Originated from Davangere, Karnataka, this Dose is slightly thicker yet very crisp & smaller in size compared to Masale Dose.

They are usually served in sets of two along with a very different tasting Coconut Chutney & a relatively bland tasting Potato Palya. But they all combine really well with the crisp Dosas

Also, These Dosas are cooked only in Butter, giving it a crisp texture & a buttery taste

This recipe is definitely a keeper. Huge Thanks to my friend R for the detailed recipe. I will be making this regularly

Though originated in Davangere, These Dosas are very popular in Bangalore as well & there are various joints across the city selling Davangere Benne Dose, my favorite being Sri Guru Kottureshwara Benne Dose in Basavangudi. Its worth a visit, if you live in Bangalore.

For the Batter

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Makes Around 22-25 Dosas

You Will Need:

2 cups Sona Masuri Rice -550-560 Grams
1/2 Cup Urad Dal - 155 Grams
1/2 Cup Sabudana/Sabbakki - 125 Grams
1.5 teaspoons Methi/Menthya
4 handfuls of Puffed Rice/Kadle Puri/Murmura
Salt to Taste

Measure everything & put it a wide bowl except Kadle Puri. Wash with several changes of water until water runs clear

Soak in a wide bowl with enough water because Urad Dal will swell upon soaking. Soak for 4-6 hours

Soak 4 handfuls of Kadlepuri 15 minutes before you plan to grind, squeeze out all the water & put it along with the rest of the ingredients 

Do Not discard the water used for soaking as it aids in fermentation

Use a wet grinder or a mixer to grind into a smooth batter. I use a mixer & grind the batter in 3 batches, adding little water at a time

Pour the batter into a large vessel, Add Salt & mix with your hands, cover & set aside in a warm place. It should take anywhere between 8-16 hours to ferment depending on the weather.

The Chutney for Davangere Benne Dose is White & does not have any tempering. If you are used to eating regular coconut chutney, this one is very different & has a totally unique flavor

You Will Need:

2 cups Grated Coconut
3 Green Chilies
1 teaspoon Poppy Seeds
2 Cloves
1 Cardamom Pod
Salt to Taste

Method:

Put everything together in a Mixie & grind into a Smooth Paste using 1/2 cup water

Alugadde Palya/Potato Palya for this Dosae is very plain compared to the Masale Dose Playa. It has no tempering, no turmeric, Just plain potatoes & Onions mashed together with some salt & Green Chilies for the heat

You Will Need:

3 medium sized Potatoes
1 large White Onion- sliced lengthwise
4 Green Chilies
Salt
1 tablespoon Oil

How To:

Cut the Potatoes into halves. Pressure cook in salted water along with green chilies for 2 whistles.

Once the pressure is released, drain the water & once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, coarsely mash them & discard the green chilies

Put a pot of water to boil, Add the sliced Onions into water & boil for 2 minutes. Drain the water completely & set aside

In a Pan, heat oil, add the Onions & mashed potatoes & some salt & sauté on medium heat for 2 minutes

To Make Dosas

Heat a good cast iron griddle or a non stick griddle, once hot enough, Set it to medium flame. 

Pour a ladleful of batter in the centre & spread into a slightly thick circle.  Drizzle melted butter  along the edges. Place 4-5 really time pieces of butter on the dosa as shown in the video.

Roast on medium flame until it turns golden brown 

After the Dosa is cooked, loosen the Dosa with the help of a spatula & fold into a semi circle

Serve alongwith Chutney & Palya

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Baking

The Best Eggless Chocolate Banana Mug Cake + Video

Remember the Eggless Chocolate Brownie Mug Cake that I shared a couple of years ago? Well, That mug cake has a serious competitor now

This Super Moist Banana & Chocolate Mug Cake is the best I've eaten so far. Its Super Moist thanks to the Bananas, very decadent with all the chocolate chips, Its Eggless & it gets done in 90 seconds.

You Have to try it right now, Believe me, you are going to love this one

Microwave Eggless Chocolate & Banana Mug Cake

This recipe makes 2 servings, perfect to be divided amongst 2 adults/kids. You can also make it in one huge mug but I like diving them into 2 medium sized mugs so that the sharing becomes easy.

I also loved the fact that this cake remained moist for a really long time. I made 2 servings yesterday afternoon, & while we finished one of the cakes right away, I set the other one aside to be had as a late night binge & I was quite pleased with how moist it was.

Servings 2

You Will Need:

4 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
2 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1/2 or 3/4th of a large Banana
3 tablespoon Sugar
3 tablespoon Milk
1.5 tablespoon Cooking Oil
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 tablespoon Chocolate Chips
Additional Chocolate chips for topping
1 teaspoon Peanut Butter (Optional)

HOW TO

Mash the Banana & set aside

In a wide bowl, add All Purpose Flour, Cocoa Powder, Sugar & Baking Soda & Mix well.

To this, add Cooking Oil, Milk, Peanut Butter(if using), Mashed Banana & Chocolate Chips & Mix well to make a smooth Batter. Ensure that there are no lumps

Grease 2 medium or 1 large Coffee Mug with Oil

Pour the Batter so that only half of the Mug gets filled. Top with 4-5 chocolates chips & Microwave for 90 seconds

Once out of the microwave, top with another 3-4 chocolate chips & allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes

Dig In !!

The Best Eggless Chocolate Banana Mug Cake

NOTE:

I microwave One Mug at a time because the cooking time may vary if both the mugs are microwaved together.

You can also divide the batter into 3 smaller cups as Mini servings but you need to reduced the cooking time to one minute else the cakes will turn dry & hard

Do Not skip adding Chocolate chips because the help in keeping the cake moist & decadent

If you do not have chocolate chips, add chocolate chunks or break any chocolate you have into small pieces & add

You can replace Milk with any other non dairy milk to make it Vegan

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Chaat

Mysuru Style Churmuri (ಚುರುಮುರಿ)

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, by Deepthi Shankar

After School Snacks

Prune & Almond Energy Balls

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Indian Breakfasts

Kanchipuram Idli Recipe + Video

As the name suggests, Kanchipuram Idlis originated from the temple town Kanchipuram, in Tamil Nadu.

Unlike regular Idlis, These Idlis are flavored with Ginger, Peppercorns, Cumin, Soaked Chana Dal & curry leaves, lending it a spicy & unique flavor

Kanchipuram Idlis are offered as Neivedyam (Offering) to the main deity at the Varadharaja Perumal Temple & Traditionally, they are steamed in small Bamboo bowls lined with a kind of dry leaves (Muttugada Ele/ ಮುತ್ತುಗದ ಎಲೆ in Kannada) which lends a unique flavor to the Idlis

At home, we can either steam them in small bowls, or steel tumblers or even in round steel plates & cut them into triangles. They are also a popular item in many South Indian eating joints.

Also, You can make the Idli batter from scratch or use your regular Idli Batter (which is what I have done here). It is a great way of using up leftover Idli batter that has slightly gone sour

Once you have the batter in place, it is very easy to make this.

You Will Need

Idli Batter - enough to make about 12 Idlis (The recipe for Idli Batter can be found here)
1/2 cup Chana Dal - Soaked for at least 1.5 hours
2 teaspoon - Crushed Black Peppercorns
2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
2 teaspoon Grated Ginger
2 sprigs of Curry Leaves - chopped
A handful of Coriander Leaves - Chopped
Salt as per taste (There is no need to add extra salt if the batter already has salt)

HOW TO:

In a bowl, Add in soaked & drained Chana dal, Ginger, Crushed Pepper, Curry Leaves & Coriander leaves into the Idli Batter. Mix well

Take a few small Steel Tumbler (The small kind in which South Indians drink Coffee in) -- Watch Video

Grease them well with Oil & pour the batter until it is 3/4th full.

Place a large pot filled with 2 cups of water on the stove. Place a trivet inside.

Now, place all the steel tumblers filled with the batter inside, turn on the heat & close the lid

Steam for 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the middle & if it comes out clean, the Idlis have cooked well.

After 20 minutes, turn off the heat & let it stand for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the tumblers & let it cool outside for 10-15 minutes

Unmould the Idlis by gently tapping them, Serve them with Coconut Chutney

What Kind of Moulds to Use?

You can use small steel tumblers or small steel bowls or you can pour the batter onto a plate, steam & later cut them into triangles.

You can also steam them in regular Idli Plates

How Long Should I steam them For?

If you are going to use steel tumbler or steel bowls, you will need to steam them for 20 minutes

But if you are using regular Idli plates or a steel plate, steam them for 12 minutes

You can also use Banana Leaf as a liner to help unmould the Idlis easily

What side dishes to serve Kanchipuram Idli With?

Though it can be served with both Chutney & Sambar, I feel it tastes best with plain & simple Coconut Chutney as the Idlis are quite spicy & packed with flavor

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Karnataka Recipes

MAAVINA HANNINA SEEKARNE | AAMRAS -- 2 WAYS (ಮಾವಿನ ಹಣ್ಣಿನ ಸೀಕರಣೆ)

There is nothing like a bowl of Chilled Seekarne(Aamras) on a Hot Summer Day. Though I like eating mangoes as is rather than using it in recipes, this is the next best thing

A bowl of Seekarne, some hot fluffy puris or Chapatis in my case (as I get too lazy to fry up Pooris in the mornings) is what Sundays during summer is all about.

I am going to share 2 versions of this. The 1st one is common across most states. It uses Mango Puree, Milk, Some Sugar & Cardamon

The Other version is more Specific to Karnataka where we extract fresh Coconut Milk from Grated coconut & it is flavored with Poppy Seeds & Cardamom. It can be sweetened with either Sugar or Jaggery.

I prefer using Sugar because, I don't want Jaggery to overpower the taste of the Mangoes. Coconut Milk & Poppy seeds add such a subtle flavor.

Also remember to use only freshly extracted coconut milk. Store bought ones don't work well for this recipe.

I love both the versions. Also, using Saffron is not mandatory & I also do not add any nuts

You Will Need:

4 Ripe Mangoes (Kesar/Alphonso/Any sweet Variety)
Sugar as per taste (See Notes)
1/4 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
A few Strands of Saffron dissolved in warm milk
1 cup Milk

How To:

Boil Milk & let it cool completely.

Wash the mangoes & peel the skin. Squeeze out the pulp into a bowl.

If you like it chunky, let it remain as it but If you prefer a smoother consistency, blend in a blender

Collect the discarded seeds & skin into a bowl, add a little water & squeeze out the extra juice & add it in the bowl.

Add Sugar, Saffron & Boiled & Cooled Milk, Mix well

Cool it in the refrigerator for an hour before serving

KARNATAKA STYLE SEEKARNE

You Will Need:

4 Ripe Mangoes
2 tablespoon Grated Coconut (Fresh/Frozen)
1 teaspoon Poppy Seeds (Khus Khus)
Sugar or Jaggery to taste (See Notes)
A big pinch of Cardamom
Saffron (Optional)

How To:

Wash the mangoes & peel the skin. Squeeze out the pulp into a bowl.

If you like it chunky, let it remain as it but If you prefer a smoother consistency, blend in a blender

Collect the discarded seeds & skin into a bowl, add a little water & squeeze out the extra juice & add it in the bowl.

Grind Grated coconut & Poppy Seeds using very little water Strain the milk & add it into the bowl. Add cardamom Powder & Sugar/Jaggery & mix well. Add Saffron if using.

Cool it in the refrigerator for an hour before serving

Serve with Puris, Chapatis, Neer Dosae & eat a bowlful as is :)

NOTE:

The amount of Sugar/Jaggery depends on the sweetness of the mangoes. If your mangoes are very sweet, you will probably need a couple of tablespoons or none at all

You may want to add more, if the mangoes are not that sweet tasting

Remember to use only freshly extracted coconut milk. Store bought ones don't work well for this recipe.

Some like chunky texture of the mangoes & they just squeeze the mango pulp by hand & let some chunks remain

While, some like the smooth texture. So blend the mango pulp if you like a smooth texture.

Both taste good in their own way.

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, by Deepthi Shankar

After School Snacks

How To Make Popcorn In An Instant Pot + Video

Making Popcorn at home is incredibly easy. All you need is good quality Popping Corn, some Butter or Coconut Oil & some salt & you will have a bowl full of Warm Buttery Popcorn in less than 10 minutes

I use Coconut Oil to make the Popcorn & later on, I like adding a tablespoon of melted butter & giving it a good mix, to get the buttery flavor without adding too much butter. Plus, adding Coconut Oil makes me feel better :)

I always buy Organic Popping Corn from Trader Joe's & a small pack goes a long way.

Also, use only Half a cup of Corn Kernels at a time. You do not want to overcrowd that pot.

To Make Plain Butter Popcorn

You Will Need:

3 tablespoons Coconut Oil
Half Cup Organic Popping Corn
1.5 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 tablespoon Butter (Salted/Unsalted)

How To

Switch on the Sauté mode in the Instant Pot. Set it to High

Add Coconut Oil & Salt. Mix well.

Add 4-5 corn kernels & close with a glass lid. It will take about 2 minutes for them to pop

When the corn kernels pop, open the lid, add the rest of the corn kernels & mix well using a spatula. Close the glass lid again

In about 2 minutes, the kernels will start popping. There is no need to shake the pot. Only do so, if the kernels are not popping.

In about 2 minutes all the kernels would have popped. A few kernels will not pop * will remain as is. But that's ok

Turn off the Instant Pot & carefully takeout the inner insert.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt a tablespoon of butter & drizzle it over the popcorn & mix well

I also love experimenting different flavors. This time I made Plain Butter Popcorn, Turmeric & Garlic Popcorn & Sriracha Popcorn.

To Make Turmeric & Garlic Popcorn

Plain Popcorn (Popcorn made with 1/4 cup corn kernels)
1 tablespoon Butter
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salt if needed

In a sauce pan, heat Butter, once it melts, add turmeric powder & garlic powder. Add salt if needed & mix well. Pour this over plain popcorn & mix well

To Make Sriracha Popcorn

Plain Popcorn (Popcorn made with 1/4 cup corn kernels)
1 teaspoon Sriracha Sauce
1 tablespoon Butter

In a saucepan or a microwave safe bowl, melt butter. Add Sriracha sauce to melted butter & whisk. Pour this over the popcorn little by little as you mix.

Initially the popcorn might feel soggy. You can microwave it for 30 seconds to 1 minute & if it sits over time, it gets dry again

Do Not be tempted to add more sauce as it will make the popcorn soggy.

A Quick Video on How To Make Plain Popcorn

INDIAN STYLE MASALA POPCORN

You Will Need:

Plain PopCorn (Popcorn made with 1/4 cup corn kernels)
1 tablespoon Butter
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon Pav Bhaji Masala
A sprig of Curry Leaves
Salt as per taste

How To:

In the sauce pan heat Butter. Add curry leaves. On very low flame, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder & pav bhaji masala. Give it a gentle stir & cook for about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat. Add the popcorn & some salt & toss well until the popcorn is coated well with the spice mixture.

Pour spiced popcorn into a huge bowl & enjoy with your family/friends

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, by Deepthi Shankar