My Old Coffee Mug and Moong Dal Chilla/Cheela

Moong Dal Chilla

It was time… It was time for me to say good bye…. It was my last day in my hostel… It was the time for the final cleanup of my room and I knew I will be fined by warden if I don’t do it right. Actually, I had more important things in my mind… Everything seemed secondary… The thought of never being able to participate in any of birthday bashes and midnight parties, never having to pay fines for attendance shortage, never having to say ‘sorry’ to the professors for bunking their classes and labs, never feeling upset for not getting good grades, never having to wait for monthly money transfers, never having to do our laundry, never having to drink water-y coffee, never having to eat bullet-proof chapattis kept lurking in between… Life would go on even if Dhaba and Tapri (corner coffee shop) lost one of its loyal customers, I thought as I picked my things to pack. Then my eyes fell on my old coffee mug without a handle!!!

There was it, sitting in one corner… My old coffee cup without a handle! It all began on the day three of us joined the hostel on same day were given same room… The thought of sharing my room with other two never appealed to me and with total strangers didn’t help either. I thought they were nut cases as one would go to bed at 9 in the night and another at 3 in the morning making my 12 to 7 time almost difficult to sleep peacefully. When one finished singing in her dream other would start talking making it one hell of Jugalbandi that I never liked to listen to. I never liked the idea of sharing my things in the beginning but slowly started getting used to it. With time, gradually I began to look beyond my roommates minor flaws and started enjoying their company. Never realised how the time flew and we were no more freshers. I remember one of my roommates returning my coffee mug sans its handle the day she came to say goodbye. Never realised how it went to her and her dupatta was with me.

As I continued to rummage my belongings, I realised the huge amount of unwanted stuffs I had been hoarding during the period of my hostel life. There were definitely many that I wanted to keep with me for the memories attached to them. And the one I was sure to take it with me was that old coffee mug without its handle. The one which was used to drink gallons of coffee over gossips and during exams night out, the same mug used to cook Maggi in hot water, the one which would tag along with me whenever I would raid into my friends room to get my share of home goodies they bought from home!!! That broken coffee mug is a link to my hostel day memories…

It was with my roommates and hostel mates I shared some of wonderful and memorable part of my life. It was because of their cheerful nature which transferred every gloomy, dark hostel days into joyous rainbow. It was because of my friends I was given a chance to taste and appreciate multi-cuisines of diverse Indian states. There was never a dull moment in my hostel life. Every week we would raid into our friend’s rooms as soon as they are back from their visit to home. If it was Khakra and Patra one week, then it would be delicious Gongura pickle other week. If it was Chakkuli and Sev one week, then it would be Rosgulla and Cham Cham next week. The fun part would be when we would visit our close relatives residing in a same place. Our aunts and uncles would make sure that we were fed well during our visits to their home and also sent back lots of goodies to share with our roommates and friends.

One dish I remember sharing with my friends was Chilla/Cheela, a flavoured pancake made using Besan/Gram Flour or lentils like Moong/Mung Dal (Split Green Lentils). Its taste still lingers in my memory and I had sudden cravings for it other day. I came across Ashwini’s recipe of Moong Dal Chilla and I could no longer wait to give it a shot. Thank you Ashwini, this recipe will be regular in our menu from now onwards. With few modifications in the ingredients used (how typical of me ;) here is my version of Moong Dal Chilla/Cheela. Without much delay I am sending this gujarati version of Dosa to my dear friend Srivalli’s Dosa Mela before she books next flight to UK to kick me for not yet sending her my entry ;) Valli, hope you give it a try and your kids and everyone enjoys it as much as we did. And as for that old coffee mug, it came with me when I left my hostel... Somethings are priceless because of the memories they bring back...

Print This Recipe

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Moong Dal Chilla (Flavoured Split Moong Pancakes)
Prep Time: 10 mins (Excluding soaking time)
Cooking Time: 3-4 mins per Chilla
Makes: 8 small Chillas

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Ingredients:
1 cup Moong Dal (Split Green Gram)
½ cup Sweet Corn, cooked in hot water for 3 mins or canned
2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped (Adjust acc to taste)
2-3 Spring Onions, finely chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
¼ inch Ginger, finely chopped
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Moong Dal Chilla Batter

Method:
For the Batter:

Wash the moong dal thoroughly and soak them over night or for at least 3-4 hours in about 3 cups of water.
Drain the water and reserve it. To this add ginger, garlic, green chillies, hing and salt to taste and grind using reserved water to smooth paste. The batter should be that of pancake consistency.
Pour this batter into a bowl and mix finely chopped spring onion, sweet corn and coriander leaves and mix well.

To make Chilla:

Heat dosa pan/griddle and pour ladleful of batter in the centre. With the help of back of a ladle spread the batter in circle to make thick pancakes (about 4-5 inch in diameter). Make sure that chilla is not too thick or thin.
Drizzle little oil along the edge of the pancake. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes.
Flip it and cook it on the other side till it gets brown patches on surface on a medium heat. Once it’s nicely browned on both the sides serve it hot with any Chutneys of your choice and enjoy.

Moong Dal Chilla with Dry Garlic-Coconut Chutney

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Note:

Use green peas as Ashwini had used in her recipe in place of sweet corn.
Mix in different vegetables like carrot, cabbage, tomatoes, spinach or other greens of your choice to make it more nutritious.

Other Dosa Recipes posted in Monsoon Spice are

• Masala Dosa
• Sajjige Rotti
• Uppu-Menasu Dosa
• Watermelon Rind Dosa
• Navaratna Dosa
• Veg Uttappa
• Onion Uttappa
• Tomato Omlette
  

Watermelon Rind Dosa with Ginger-Coconut Chuteny

Watermelon, watermelon,
On the vine, on the vine,
Green and ripe and juicy,
Green and ripe and juicy
Please be mine,
Please be mine.

Summer and watermelons… Like many (grown up;) kids, I too have fond memories of eating a big crescent of watermelon greedily after playing outside in blazing hot sun, just plain or sprinkled with little salt or dipped in honey. It was dad’s department when it came to buying a huuuuuuuuge watermelon and cut it into big equal sized slices so that we kids don’t get any chance to argue as who got the big chunk of watermelon :) Red and juicy watermelon dotted with slippery and oval black seeds covered with green and white striped skin was one among favourite fruits of mine. Who can forget seed-spitting competition as who would spit the seeds as far as we could and the fear and panic when our elders would tease us saying swallowing these seeds would result in a watermelon plant growing in our tummy:)
When it comes to food, I have one more fond watermelon memory. Once we kids had our fill of watermelon my dad would cut the watermelon into small pieces and store it in refrigerator for late morning snacking and mom would collect all thick skin to make delicious Dosa. My sister and brother preferred sweet watermelon dosa prepared adding grated jaggery ground with rice and white part of watermelon pieces. The spicy version of dosa prepared adding dry red chillies and aromatic cumin and coriander seeds were my and my dad’s favourite.
When Bee and Jai chose Watermelon for this month’s AFAM which is a brainchild of Maheshwari, I knew what I wanted to contribute without any hitch and hesitation or confusion which I usually have whenever I participate in food events. Watermelon Dosa might sound bit unusual to most of readers but you have to try it to know how tasty and delicious it is and how quick and simple it is to make. Unlike many dosa recipes, water melon dosa doesn’t need any fermentation process. Addition of coriander and cumin seeds with dry red chillies takes it to another level of taste. The peel left after eating the red part of watermelon is used to make this dosa. The outermost green part is peeled and only the remaining white part is used to make this dosa. Cut these white parts into small pieces and grind them with rice and other spices to make batter.

Watermelon Rind Dosa with Ginger-Coconut Chuteny and Watermelon Lemonade

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Watermelon Rind Dosa
Prep Time: 10-15 mins (excluding soaking time)
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
1 cup Rice
3-4 cups Watermelon rind, chopped-only the white part as mentioned above
½ cup Fresh/frozen Coconut
3-4 Dry Red Chillies, according to taste
½ tbsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 small Onion, chopped finely
2 Green Chillies, chopped finely
2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped
Few Curry Leaves, chopped
Salt to taste

Watermelon Rind Dosa with Ginger-Coconut Chuteny

Method:
Soak rice in warm water for at least 2 hours and drain water completely.
Grind coconut, rice, red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, salt to taste and about 3 cups of chopped watermelon rinds without adding any water. If the batter is too thick add little more watermelon rinds and grind. The batter should be little thinner than Idli batter consistency.
Now add finely chopped onion, green chilli, coriander and curry leaves to the batter and mix well. Keep this aside for about 15 minutes so that all the flavours blend well.
Heat tawa/griddle and pour a ladle full of batter in the centre. Using back of ladle spread this into thick circle.
Cook both the sides in medium-low heat till they turn golden brown by applying little oil or ghee if desired.
Serve hot with Chutney or Sambar or with honey.

I love my plate of watermelon dosa with honey and Ginger-Coconut Chutney. Here is the simple recipe for making Ginger-Coconut Chutney.

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Ginger-Coconut Chutney
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: -
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
1 cup Fresh/Frozen Coconut
¾ inch Ginger
2 Green Chillies
1 marble sized Tamarind
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind all the above ingredients adding little water (about ¾ cups of water) at a time to a smooth paste and serve with Dosas or Idlies.

Watermelon Rind Dosa with Ginger-Coconut Chuteny

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Did You Know?
Every part of a watermelon is edible, even the seeds and rinds.
Watermelon is grown in over 96 countries worldwide.
In China and Japan watermelon is a popular gift to bring a host.
In Israel and Egypt, the sweet taste of watermelon is often paired with the salty taste of feta cheese.
Watermelon is 92% water.
Watermelon's official name is Citrullus lanatus of the botanical family Curcurbitacae and it is a vegetable! It is related to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash.
A watermelon was once thrown at Roman Governor Demosthenes during a political debate. Placing the watermelon upon his head, he thanked the thrower for providing him with a helmet to wear as he fought Philip of Macedonia.
Watermelon is an ideal health food because it doesn't contain any fat or cholesterol, is an excellent source of vitamins A, B6 and C, and contains fiber and potassium.
The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt.
The word "watermelon" first appeared in the English dictionary in 1615.
(Source: www.mrspohlmeyerskinderpage.com)

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Watermelon Rind Dosa

Uppu Menasu Dosa (Spicy Dosa)

I love dosas and like it more when you can right away make them with out fermentation process. This is very old recipe from my Atte and Amma’s kitchen. They learnt it from their mothers. I am not sure as why it’s called as Uppu Menasu Dosa (Uppu means Salt and Menasu means Chilly in Kannada). Well what’s in name? It’s been my favourite dosa since as long as I can remember having it for the first name. Some what after coming here I had forgotten its existence. Yes… not anymore… Not for long time….

Uppu Menasu Dosa

Ingredients:
2 cups Rice
2 medium Onions
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
5-6 Dry Red Chillies (acc to taste)
Handful of Poha
Salt to taste

Uppu Menasu Dosa

Method:
Soak rice in water for 1-2 hours.
Add all the ingredients and grind them to smooth paste adding enough water.
Heat the tava and pour a spoonful of batter and spread them evenly.
Cook till it turns golden brown and crisp and turn it over.
Serve hot with any chutney/yogurt or it can be eaten as it is.

Uppu Menasu Dosa

Variation:
You can also add ½ cup of grated coconut while grinding.

Uppu Menasu Dosa

How my blog buddies look like MEME:

I’m tagged by Pooja for the MEME How my blog buddies look like. Well… it was rather difficult one as here I have to write about blog buddies whom I have never seen. I have my own vision of some blog friends with whom I interact on this virtual world of internet on almost daily basis. Although I have not met anyone of them (may never meet face to face), I have developed a very strong emotional bond with them. I think of them in terms of colours as every individual has some stong colour which portraits them. I have had never thought that I will be making so many friends here in food blogging and this is my tribute to all my blog buddies.

Everything I have written here is purely based on my imagination. So please correct me if I am wrong and do let me know as how far I am right in this guessing game. And also I could write about people with whom I have known since long time. So here we go…

POOJA:

She is mischievous and naughty to the core with streak of moodiness. She has 100 watts smile and light any place with her good sense of humour. One thing she can’t stand is sitting idle for long. Always up to something or the other.

SANDEEPA:

She is one pretty girl with short and silky hair. She is adventurous and fun loving person. I don’t know why I always imagine her in jeans and t-shirts.

LAKSHMI:

She is one busy mom with big dreams for her two little darlings. She has beautiful smile and dimple chin.

LAKSHMIK:

I feel she is much organised and also vivacious reader. I imagine her in kid’s park playing with her little one. She is passionate about everything she does and she is a terrific cook.

VIJI:

She can beat everyone’s record of cooking and blogging. One enthu person who has so much to give it to the world. If anyone deserves an award for enthusiastic food blogger, then I will definitely vote for her.

ROOMA:

I always visualise her as a leader rather than a follower. Intellectual person with brick sized book in her hand and her spectacles fixed on tip of her nose. She knows what she wants from her life and she is on the way of making it happen.

ASHA:

One busy mom working in her white kitchen creating mouth watering delicacies for her family and friends. I think that she has her camera around her neck while cooking (looking at her step by step shots of cooking). She is humble and kind. It is very difficult to imagine her as she has so many ‘avtars’.

USHA:

Ahhh… she is one sensitive soul who cares deeply for her family and friends especially her better half. She loves to make friends and can easily mingle with any crowd. She is the one who has gone through many difficulties in her life and has emerged as a role model for others. I imagine her as a person with beautiful eyes which reflects her lovely heart.

VINI:

She is a doting mother who loves to bake goodies for her little princess. Her world revolves around her daughter. I feel she is a person with big dream which she has tucked away for now, but I don’t have any doubt about her achieving it one day. And one more thing, I think she has long beautiful hair.

Although I have seen Seema, Soumya, Trupti, Dilip, Vani, Supriya, Manjula and Nidhi, I have not met most of them. So here is the picture I have of them.

SEEMA:

One creative lady blessed with magic touch. She can turn shambles into palace and give complex to any top interior decorator. Talkative who can talk for hours without taking any break.

SOUMYA:

She has a heart of gold and a face to match. Kind hearted doctor who can never think of harming even an ant.

TRUPTI:

She is a multi-tasker, able to juggle many things at once. She’d be cooking dinner and helping the kids with homework and answering the phone and keeping an ear on the radio, all at the same time. Her world revolves around her family.

VANI:

Proud mommy and wonderful wife cooking in her kitchen with her ‘Ginger’. She is gorgeous yet so simple.

DILIP:

He is a lover of everything ‘hot’ and ‘spicy’. He is a doting husband who loves to cook and experiment.

SUPRIYA:

She is a fun loving, bindas girl who lives her life to the fullest. She has got the attitude to match her personality. Bubby and friendly and also no nonsense girl.

NIDHI:

Here comes our little master chef for whom we all are proud of. She is born with silver spoon in her ‘hand’ to create magic with food. She is a lover of everything elegant and elegance is her second name.

MANJULA:

She is an attractive girl with flawless skin and beautiful eyes. Quiet,kind hearted and fun loving.

Uff... That was really difficult but it was real fun.... I quite enjoyed thinking about it.

Navaratna Dosa with Coriander Chuteny

Lentils/beans are important part of diet in India. Be it plain rasam, sambar or dal lentils/beans are the main ingredients. I try to include lentils as much as possible as they are not only nutritious but also taste good. My hubby prefers dosa/pancakes for breakfast. Dosa can be made using just one ingredient. But here I am posting a recipe of dosa where I have used 9 different lentils/beans, so the name Navaratna which means 9 precious gems. The recipe source is of course my mother.

Ingredients:
1 cup Rice
1 tbsp Methi/Fenugreek Seeds
½ cup Grated Coconut
Handful of Poha
4-6 Dry Red Chillies (adjust acc to taste)
Salt to Taste
Lentils/Beans used:
2 tbsp Whole Green Gram
2 tbsp Split Green Gram
2 tbsp Toor Dal
1/4 cup Urad Dal
2 tbsp Split Chana Dal
2 tbsp Chana Dal/Chickpeas
2 tbsp Kidney Beans/Rajma
2 tbsp Whole Wheat
2 tbsp Black Eyed Beans

Navaratna Dosa with Coriander Chuteny & Soppu Sambar

Method:

1. Soak rice, fenugreek seeds and all lentils/beans in water for at least 4-5 hours or preferably overnight.
2. Add poha, chillies and coconut and grind them to smooth paste adding enough water and salt to taste.
3. Keep it over night to ferment the batter in warm place.
4. Next day prepare dosa and serve hot with any Chutney or Honey or Sambar

Navaratna Dosa

I served this dosa with Coriander Chutney. Here is the ingredient and method for making fresh coriander chutney.

Ingredients:
Small bunch/handful of Fresh Coriander Leaves
½ inch Ginger
1 cup Grated Coconut
2-3 Green Chillies
½ tsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds
1 tsp Tamarind Paste
Salt to taste

Navaratna Dosa with Coriander Chuteny & Soppu Sambar

Method:

1. Grind all the ingredients adding little water at a time to smooth paste.
2. You can also season it with mustard and curry leaves.

Veg Uttappa

I remember the days of my childhood when my Amma tried to feed us veggies. I was very picky with vegetables. Hated one for its colour and another for its shape; disliked one for its texture and another for its taste; oh… so many reasons not to eat vegetables. But Amma was too smart to leave us just like that. She had so many secret weapons in her treasure chest which she used whenever required. She made us fruit juice and ice creams when we were not ready to eat fruits, made veggie cutlets and colourful dosas when were ran away from vegetables, made healthy rice dishes with wide array of vegetables chopped into so small pieces so that it will be difficult to pick them and pile in the corner of plates, mixed fresh fruits and raw vegetables in yogurt to mix with rice and roties, mixed vegetable purees with chappati atta to make them colourful and attractive… and not to forget different varieties of dosas with smiley faces cheering us…
Memories…lovely memories… Well, let me come back to present…. If anyone were to ask me which I dislike the most my answer would be none… Yes Amma, you heard it right:) Thanks to my hubby dear who made me fall in love with all the vegetables. I love using as many different varieties of vegetables as possible in any dish which I feel gives 'kick' to it. As my hubby prefers dosas for breakfast on weekdays than breakfast cereals, I’m always on a search for as many recipes as possible. The one which works perfect for us is Uttappa. I usually make Uttappa batter for 2-3 days and add different types of vegetables on different days. Here is a recipe for making Veg Uttappa.

Veg Uttappa

Ingredients:
1 cup Raw Rice
1 cup Par Boiled Rice
1/4 cup Dehusked Black gram
1 tbsp Red gram Dal
1/2 tbsp Fenugreek/Methi seeds
Salt to Taste.

Indian Healthy Pizza, Veg Uttappa

Vegetables used:
Grated Carrot
Finely chopped Capsicum
Finely chopped Onion
Grated Cauliflower
Finely chopped Green Chillies(Acc to taste)
Finely chopped Coriander Leaves

Indian Healthy version of Pizza

Method:
Soak all ingredients in water for 3-4 hours.
Grind then to smooth paste adding salt and enough water.
Allow to ferment till next day.
Heat a tawa/pan and spread a laddle full of batter into thick circle.
Sprinkle finely chopped vegetables on top evenly.
Cook both sides in medim flame till they turn golden brown.
Serve hot with sambhar/chutney/pickle.

Veg Uttappa served with Potato Sambar

Note:
Add as many or as little vegetables you want.
With the same batter you can make Onion, Cauliflower, Tomato, Carrot, Capsicum Uttappa.

Veg Uttappa served with Potato Sambar

Tomato Omlette

It's a pure veggi Omlette - nutritious and healthy. Here is a recipe of Tomato Omlette which is a favorite breakfast of my family. It can be made in few minutes of time and what more...it tastes really good too.

Pure Veggi-Tomato Omlette

Ingredients:
1 cup of Plain flour/Maida
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Tomatoes, Finely Chopped
2 Green Chillies, Finely Chopped
1 spoon of red chill powder
3 tbsp Tomato Puree
1/4 spoon of jeera
Few Coriander leaves
Pinch of Cooking Soda
Salt to taste

Tomato Omlette

Method:
Mix salt, chilli powder, soda with maida.
Add all chopped onion, tomatoes, chillies and coriander leaves.
Heat little oil and add jeera. After jeera starts crackling mix it with the batter.
Add little water to make it a batter - batter should be in pouring consistency.
Heat the tawa pour little of the batter and spread it well - cook both the sides.
Serve hot with chutney, pickle or sauce.

Tomato Omlette

Masala Dosa

One thing which I missed the most during my hostel days was Big M...Yup, its my Mom's speciality dish...the crispy, tasty, wonderful Masala Dosa. My mom is the best cook(better than MTR:) when it comes to masala dosa. Everytime I went home on short leave from hostel, I was always embraced with big hug from mom and big plate of Masala dosas. For me its a King of all Dosas. I can never match the special taste of mom's cooking but I'm getting used to cooking well for my standards:) Here is my humble recipe for preparing quick and easy and also tasty masala dosa. Oh...I got the big thumbs-up from my Hubby too;)

Masala Dosa with Red Chutney

Ingredients:
For Dosa:
2 cups Rice
3/4 cup Urad Dal
1/4 cup Moong Dal(Green Gram)
2 tbsp Methi Seeds
1/2 cup Poha
Salt to taste

For Poato Curry/Bhaji:
1 big Onion, sliced thinly
3 medium Potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
1 inch chopped Ginger
1 tsp Termaric Powder
2 Green Chillies, slit
Fresh chopped Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
For Seasoning:
1 tbsp Mustard
1 tbsp Urad Dal
2-3 Dry Red Chillies
Few Curry leaves
Pinch of Hing

For Red Chutney:
1/2 cup Coconut
1/2 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
2-3 Dry Red Chillies
1/2 inch Ginger
1/2 tsp Tarmarind Paste
Salt to taste

Masala Dosa

Method:
For Red Chutney:
Grind all the ingredients in a mixi/food processor to smooth paste adding enough water and keep it aside.

Dosa with Red Chutney

For Potato Bhaji/Curry:
Take little oil in a pan and add all seasoning ingredients and fry till it starts spluttering.
To this add sliced onions and chopped ginger and cook till onions turn translucent.
Add slit chillies, mashed potatoes, salt and little water and mix them well.
To this add termaric powder and chopped coriander leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes mixing well.
Remove the pan from gas and keep it aside.

Dosa with Potato Bhaji

For Dosa:
Soak rice, urad dal, moong dal and methi in water for 4-5 hours or over night.
Grind all the ingredients with Poha, salt and enough water to smooth paste.
Its recommended to keep this batter to stand overnight.
Next day heat the tava/pan and put little ghee/cooking oil.
Spread the batter on tava and spread the red chutney evenly.
Cook it till the dosa turns brown and crispy.
Add a tsp of Ghee on top of it and a 2 tbsp of Potato bhaji/curry.
Fold the dosa in middle and serve hot.

Crispy Masala Dosa ready to serve

Onion Uttappa

Here is another way of making uttappam with urad and moong dal. I have used onion for Topping. You can also try using grated carrots, cauliflower, tomatoes etc.

Onion Uttappa served with Green Tarmarind Pickle

Ingredients:
2 cups Rice
1 cup Urad dal
3 tbsp Moong dal (yellow dal)
2 tbsp grated Coconut
1" ginger
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 green chilli, chopped finely
salt to taste

Onion Uttappa

Method:
Soak rice, urad dal and half ground moong dal in water overnight or in warm water for 2 hours.
Grind the soaked rice and daal with grated coconut, ginger, salt and water to smooth batter.

Let the batter ferment overnight or for 7-8 hours.
Heat the tava/pan and put little ghee/cooking oil.
Spread the batter on tava and add chopped onion and chillies on top of uttappa immediately.
Cook it till brown on bothsides applying oil.
Serve hot with any chutneys or pickles of your choice.