Thakkali Dosa and Rava Khichadi
In traditional Tamilian homes, the Rava Khichadi-Thakkali Dosa combination is one of the most nutritious breakfast meals and a favourite for a lazy Sunday. This meal finds its mention as early as the 10th century Tamil Sangam Literature, where it has been described as a common man’s food. Generally savoured with coconut chutney, a daily staple with most South Indian homes, and sambar, this wholesome platter has, over the years, found its way into lunch menus at various restaurants around the country.
VIEW INDIVIDUAL RECIPES
- Duration:20 minutes
- Serves:3 to 4 people
Authenticity Slice
Rava has the tendency of soaking up a lot of water, so it’s always a good idea to keep a cup of hot water at hand while preparing the Rava Khichadi. Among vegetables, chopped beans can be a welcome and healthy addition to the Khichadi recipe.
Ingredients
- Semolina (rava/sooji) (1 cup)
- Water (3 cups)
- Oil (2 tsp)
- Clarified butter (ghee) (3 to 4 tsp)
- Mustard (sarson) (¼ tsp)
- Green chillies (hari mirch), split (2)
- Split chickpeas (chana dal) (¼ tsp)
- Black gram (urad dal) (¼ tsp)
- Onion, finely chopped (1)
- Tomato, finely chopped (1)
- Carrot (gajar), finely chopped (½)
- Green peas (matar) (a handful)
- MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder (¼ tsp)
- Curry leaves (kadipatta) (5 to 6)
- Cashew nuts (kaju) (a few, optional)
- Salt (to taste)
Method
- Heat a kadhai on a low flame and dry-roast the rava till it starts changing colour. Once done, keep aside.
- In a pan, heat oil on a high flame and add the sarson, chana dal, urad dal, green chillies, kadipatta and kaju (optional). Lower the flame and stir-fry till the dal turns golden brown.
- Add the onions and sauté till they become pink.
- Toss in the tomatoes and sauté till they soften.
- Add the MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder and salt to the concoction and keep stirring.
- Next, add the carrot and the peas, and sauté for another minute.
- Pour in the water and bring it to a boil on a medium flame. Once the water starts boiling, lower the flame and add the roasted rava.
- Keep stirring carefully till the masala has mixed evenly with the rava, making sure that no lumps are formed in the process. Keep cooking on a low flame till the rava is cooked through. It generally takes just 3 to 4 minutes.
- Take off the flame and add the ghee. Stir to mix.
- Serve the Rava Khichadi piping hot with sambar and coconut chutney.
- Duration:20 minutes
- Serves:3 people
Authenticity Slice
The slight tangy taste and alluring red hue of the tomatoes make the Thakkali Dosa a favourite among dosa-lovers. To ensure the best-tasting and best-looking dosas though, good care needs to be taken to grind the tomatoes into a smooth, fine paste. To further perfect it, any remaining lumps or seeds must be removed using a sieve. And, to lend it a deeper shade of red colour, mix in some Kashmiri lal mirch powder to the dosa batter.
Ingredients
- Idli rice/parboiled rice (2 cups)
- Tomato, finely chopped (3, big-sized)
- MTR Lal Mirch/Red Chilli Powder (1 tsp)
- Kashmiri lal mirch powder (1½ tsp, optional)
- Mustard leaves (sarson) (¾ tsp)
- Oil (2 tsp)
- Black gram (urad dal) (1 tsp)
- Asafoetida (hing) (2 pinches)
- Curry leaves (kadipatta) (5 to 6)
- Onion, finely chopped (1)
- Salt (to taste)
- Water (as required for grinding)
Method
- Wash the rice thoroughly and soak in water for a minimum of 6 hours. It is best to soak it overnight.
- Toss the soaked rice in a mixer-grinder along with the tomatoes and MTR Lal Mirch Chilli Powder, adding in a little bit of water if required. The batter should be a bit thinner than the regular dosa consistency.
- Pour this batter into a vessel and add salt as per taste.
- Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan on a medium flame. Add the sarson, urad dal, hing and kadipatta and keep frying till the sarson begins to splutter and the dal starts to change colour.
- Add the chopped onion and keep frying till they turn translucent.
- Turn off the flame and add this tempering to the batter. Cover with a lid for a few minutes to let the batter soak in the flavours.
- Next, heat a non-stick dosa tawa and sprinkle some oil on it. As it begins to give off smoke, gently wipe the tawa with a clean, moist cloth.
- Pour a ladle-full of batter at the centre of the tawa and using the base of a katori, spread it clockwise to make a circular dosa of 5 to 6 inch diameter.
- Once the edges begin to curl up, flip the dosa. Allow it to cook on a medium flame till the dosa acquires a golden red hue on both sides.
- Transfer the Thakkali Dosa to a serving plate and serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.
- Duration:15 minutes
- Serves:5-6 people
Authenticity Slice
A good souring agent is critical to making this chutney. For long, imli was the chosen ingredient in Karnataka’s authentic chutney recipe. But even in the olden days, the imli would sometimes be replaced with curd, with great care taken to ensure that it was nice and thick. The chutney’s taste would otherwise be ruined.
Ingredients
- Fresh coconut, grated (1 cup)
- Green chillies (hari mirch) (2 to 3)
- Ginger (adrak), crushed (1-inch piece)
- Tamarind (imli) pulp (2 tsp)
- Coriander leaves (hara dhania) (2 tbsp)
- Curry leaves (kadipatta) (4)
- Split Bengal gram (chana dal), soaked for a couple of hours (1 tbsp)
- Salt (to taste)
- label (For tempering )
- Oil (2 tsp)
- Mustard seeds (sarson) (1 tsp)
- Black gram (urad dal) (1 tsp)
- Dry red chillies (sabut lal mirch) (2)
- Asafoetida (hing) (a pinch)
Method
- In a mixer-grinder, toss in all the ingredients (except the ones for tempering), and a little water and grind up a fine paste. Transfer the mix to a bowl.
- Heat oil in a pan on a high flame and add the sarson to it. When it begins to splutter, add the urad dal, hing and lal mirch, and fry till the dal turns golden brown.
- Take off the flame and immediately add to the coconut paste. Mix well and cover the bowl with a lid. Let it rest for 2 minutes to allow the flavours to seep through.
- Serve fresh with dosas or idlis.
- Duration:15 minutes
- Serves:5 to 6 people
Authenticity Slice
The MTR Sambar Masala is a perfect blend of all the authentic ingredients. To make sambar in a jiffy, use this masala and you can enjoy piping hot sambar in under 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- Pre-cooked veggies of choice (1 cup)
- Tuvar dal (split pigeon pea) (3/4 cup)
- Water (600 ml)
- Imli (tamarind) juice (2 tsp)
- MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder (1/2 tsp)
- MTR Sambar Powder (1 tbsp)
- Grated coconut (1/2 tbsp)
- Gud (jaggery) (2 tsp)
- Salt (To taste )
- Oil (1/2 tsp)
- For tempering (1 tsp)
- Mustard (sarson) (4)
- Curry leaves (kadipatta) (1 tbsp)
- Oil ()
Method
- In a deep pan, add the water, dal, MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder and oil. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil on a high flame. Then, lower the flame to medium and cook till the dal is done.
- Meanwhile, get the sambar paste ready. In a mixie, add MTR Sambar Powder, coconut, gud, a little water and blend well to form a fine paste.
- Now, add this paste to the cooked dal and stir to combine on a medium flame.
- Add the pre-cooked veggies of choice (onions, tomatoes, lauki, pumpkin). Then add the imli juice. Mix well.
- Season with salt and let the dal cook for another 5 mins.
- Make the tadka separately. In a pan, heat oil on a high flame. Add sarson and let it splutter, then add kadipatta.
- Take off the flame and pour immediately on the sambar. Stir to mix well.
- Garnish with hara dhania and serve hot with idli, dosa or steamed rice.
