Maida Dosa / Instant Dosa

What I used:

All purpose flour / Maida : 1 cup
Chopped onion : 3 tbsp
Chopped green chillies : 1 tbsp
Salt : as required
Water : 1 1/4 cup (approximately)
Oil : as required

How I did:

• Take maida in a mixing bowl and mix water little by little without forming any lumps until you get the consistency of normal dosa batter.  If required use your hands to mix the batter. 
• Add salt, chopped onions and chopped green chillies and combine well.
• Heat a non stick pan on medium high flame, grease some cooking oil to it.
• Reduce the flame to medium. Using a ladle or a cup, pour the batter starting from the outer edge of the pan, covering the entire circumference in the form of a circle.  Fill the gaps in between, quickly and evenly.
• Pour a tsp of oil or two on and around the dosa.
• Let cook for a minute and when it turns to golden color flip over.
• Cook for few more seconds and serve with any chutney.

Minumula Vadalu (whole black gram fritters)

What I used:

Minumulu (Whole black gram) : 1 cup
Green chillies : 5 to 7
Ginger : 2 inch piece (chopped)
Garlic : 6 cloves
Cumin seeds : 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds : 1 tbsp (You can also use fresh coriander) 
Salt : as required
Oil : for deep frying

How I did:

• Soak minumulu overnight in enough water.  Next morning, wash them two to three times and strain in a colander.
• In a mixer grinder jar, take green chillies, chopped ginger, garlic cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, salt and grind into a smooth paste.  As the quantity would be less, it wont easily grind itself.  Add a fistful of soaked minumulu which helps the grinding.
• Add minumulu and just run on pulse for two or three times.
• Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai on medium high flame.  
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl.  Take some water in a small bowl and keep aside. 
• Moisten your hands with water and take a lemon sized mixture with your right hand.  Make a ball and place it onto your left hand palm and gently press and flatten it.  Drop it into the oil.  Similarly make few more vadas and drop into the oil.
• Deep fry till they turn to golden brown on the edges and flip them over.
• Let them fry till they turn to golden brown color on the other side too.
• Transfer to a paper napkin which absorbs the excess oil.
• Serve with tomato ketchup.

Tomato Coconut Chutney

What I used:

Big sized Tomatoes : 3
Fresh grated coconut : 1/4 cup
Green chillies : 4 to 5
Garlic cloves : 4
Salt : as required
Oil : 1 tbsp

For the tadka/popu:

Hing / Inguva : a big pinch
Urad dal : 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
Oil : 1 tsp

How I did:

• Cut tomatoes into medium sized cubes.
• Take a kadai and heat a tbsp of oil on medium flame.
• Add the green chillies and cook for a minute.  Add tomato cubes.
• Sprinkle some salt which helps tomatoes to release some water and makes cooking faster.
• Cook covered till the tomatoes are soft and mushy.  
• Remove the lid and cook for few more minutes till all the water released by tomatoes is almost evaporated.
• When cooled, grind the cooked mixture along with coconut and garlic cloves in a mixer grinder.
• Adjust the salt and transfer to a serving bowl.
• Heat a tsp of oil in a pan, add hing, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal.  When the seeds crackle switch off the stove and pour it on to the chutney.  
• Serve with dosas or idlis.

Maida Biscuits

Very simple biscuits but just intended for kids as it contains a lot of ghee.

What I used:

All purpose flour / Maida : 1 cup
Sugar : 1/2 cup
Ghee / clarified butter : 1/2 cup
Miniature semi sweet chocolate chips : a few (optional)

Makes 15 medium sized biscuits.

How I did:

• Preheat the oven to 325 F.
• Combine maida and sugar in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Add ghee and knead into a soft dough.
• Divide the dough into lemon sized balls.
• Grease a baking tray with some ghee and arrange the balls leaving enough space between each of them to avoid sticking to each other. 
• Gently press and flatten the balls a little with your fingers. If desired, decorate with chocolate chips.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or till the edges turn to golden brown.
• Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on the baking tray.
• Let cool completely before serving and storing.  If chocolate chips are used, refrigerate for a while before serving.

Banana Puris

What I used:

Wheat flour : 2 cups
Ripe bananas : 2 (Small to medium sized)
Salt : as required
Milk : 3 to 4 tbsp
Oil : for frying

How I did :

• Peel off the skin of the bananas and mash them.
• Take flour in a mixing bowl and add salt and mashed bananas to it.
• Combine to form a dough.  Add milk if required.  The quantity of milk varies depending on the ripeness and the size of bananas.
• Knead thoroughly and divide the dough into lemon sized balls.
• Roll each ball into a 1/2 cm width circle.
• Heat oil in a saucepan on medium high flame.  Deep fry the puris till golden brown.
• Serve with any chutney. 

Beans Sesame Curry (Beans Nuvvulapodi curry)

What I used:

Green beans : 1 cup (cut into 1" pieces)
Nuvvulapodi / Sesame Powder : 3 tbsp
Red chilli powder : 1 tsp or as required
Salt : as required
Urad dal : 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
Red chillies : 1 (broken into small bits)
Turmeric powder : a pinch
Oil : 1 tbsp

How I did:

• Take bean pieces in a microwavable bowl, add some water and microwave for 5 minutes.
• Heat oil in a kadai and do the tadka (add urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and red chilli pieces).
• Drain the water from the beans and add to the kadai when the seeds crackle.
• Sprinkle salt and turmeric powder and cook covered till the beans are done.
• Finally add the sesame powder and red chilli powder.  While adding chilli powder, keep in mind that sesame powder also contains some red chillies in it.
• Serve with plain rice.

Vermicelli Dosa

What I used:

Vermicelli / Semiya : 1 cup
Rice flour : 3/4 cup
Sour curd / Yoghurt : 1/2 cup
Salt : as required
Water : 1 1/2 cups
Oil : as required

How I did:

• Take half cup of sour curd and half cup of water and whip them together.
• Soak vermicelli in this curd for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  If the curd is not sour, soaking can be done the night before.
• Mash the vermicelli with pappu gutti or using back of a ladle.
• Mix the rice flour spoon by spoon to vermicelli without any lumps, by adding water when required.
• Mix salt and the remaining water to adjust the consistency of the batter.
• Heat a non-stick dosa pan on medium high flame, spray cooking oil or grease oil with a spoon.
• Pour a big ladleful of batter in the center of the pan.  Using the back of the laddle spread the batter in the form of a big round circle. 
• Cook for few seconds and when turned to golden brown turn over.  
• Cook for few more seconds and serve hot with any chutney.  I've prepared Carrot Tomato Chutney for these dosas.

Carrot Tomato Chutney

What I used:

Carrot : 1 large sized
Tomato : 2
Green chillies : 4 to 5
Garlic cloves : 4
Sugar : 1/2 tsp
Salt : as required
Oil : 1 tbsp

For the tadka/popu:

Hing / Inguva : a big pinch
Urad dal : 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves : a few
Oil : 1 tsp

How I did:

• Wash and peel the carrots.  Cut tomatoes and carrots into medium sized cubes.
• Take a kadai and heat a tbsp of oil on medium flame.
• Add the green chillies and cook for a minute.  Add carrot and tomato cubes.
• Sprinkle some salt which helps the vegetables to release some water and makes cooking faster.
• Cook covered till the tomatoes are soft and mushy.  
• Remove the lid and cook for few more minutes till all the water released by tomatoes is almost evaporated.
• When cooled, grind the cooked mixture along with garlic cloves in a mixer grinder.
• Add sugar and adjust the salt.
• Transfer to a serving bowl.
• Heat a tsp of oil in a pan, add hing, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal.  When the seeds crackle, add curry leaves and switch off the stove.
• Pour it on to the chutney.  
• Goes well with dosas or idlis.