Dosa Kebab Roll (When South meets North)

'Jaldi Aana' (In English, 'Come back soon') is that phrase which has made my life extra beautiful these days. Don't think that I'm the one who says this to my hubby when he's leaving for office in the morning (he he....IT guys can never follow that I know! :P) That's my pocket-sized rocket, I mean my little chirpy, perky doll who keeps talking the day long these days, firing all sort of questions, and then replying back to them with her silly wisdom. 'Jaldi aana' is her favorite phrase these days which she would say to anyone and everyone she meets. And just not that, she suffixes it so well with 'Theek Hai/ Okay'...ha ha...she's a complete dadi amma! :)

Well, I had been a little busy in the last months due to some reasons that just didn't let me sit on my blog for long. I know I will not be as regular on it as I was in Kenya, but cooking is still going on, and so will be blogging for sure. :) Today's post was an innovation in disguise. I had made daal kebabs and lacchha paranthas one evening and didn't know what to do with the leftover kebabs. Next morning, I was preparing breakfast for hubby and wooosh, this fab idea clicked! I had some green chutney with me, so made delicious Dosa Kebab Rolls with them, a variation to the usual Lucknowi Kebab Roll. They turned out fantastic, far better than what I had imagined. They were masaledaar/ spicy, they were flavorful, yet they weren't unhealthy. My hubby adored them and then I decided not to miss on the clicks and copyright my new creation.

DOSA KEBAB ROLL:

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 minutes (With previously cooked kebabs)

Info Meter: 

The protein-carb rich dosa with the spicy lentil/daal kebab is perhaps one of the quickest fusion breakfast you can have, commingling the flavors from the South and the North India. All you need is the ready to use dosa batter and some leftover kebabs that you might have after a gala dinner, or you might even think of making some fresh ones, especially for these hot rolls.

Ingredients:

For Kebabs:

1. Black Masoor Daal: 1 cup

2. Green Chilly:1

3. Garlic Pods: 3 or 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

4. Garam Masala: 1 tbs

5. Salt: 1 tbs or as per taste

6. Oil: 1 tbs for cooking and some for shallow frying the kebabs

7. Amchoor/ Dry Mango Powder: 1/2 tsp (optional)

8. Green Chutney

9. Sliced Onion Rings dipped in lime juice

For Dosa Batter: 

1. Split Urad Daal: 1 cup

2. Dosa Rice: 2 cups

3. Tuar/ Arhar Daal: a handful

4. Poha: 1/4 cup

5. Fenugreek Seeds/ Methi Dana: 1/4 tsp

Method:

Preparing Kebabs:

1. Soak the masoor daal for 2 hours. Then boil it with the green chilly till the daal gets fairly cooked and soft. It took me 20 minutes to do that.
2. Pound it with the back of a spoon and make into a fine paste. Take the green chilly out.
3. Mash the garlic pods and keep them ready.
4. Take 1 tbs oil in a pan and heat it. Add the daal paste to it followed by garam masala and salt. 
5. Cook for 3-5 minutes till it becomes thick, like dough. 
6. Let it cool.
7. Form balls with it and flatten them in between your palms. 
8. Take 2 tbs oil/ghee in a non stick skillet/pan. Shallow fry the kebabs on it, flipping on the side when they turn brown (Like for Aloo Tikki).
9. The kebabs are ready to use. You can either have them with Lacckka Paranthas or with the Dosa Rolls.

Preparing Dosa Batter:

1. Soak the daals and the rice separately for 4-6 hours.
2. Add methi seeds to the daal before soaking.
3. Now grind the daal to a smooth batter.
4. Add poha to the soaked rice and grind it well. See that it is not granular, but fine and smooth.
5. Now mix the two together and let them ferment overnight.
6. The batter should almost rise to double by the morning.
7. Now store it in the refrigerator and take small portions out for use whenever required.
8. Add a little salt to the batter before making dosas. If you find the consistency thick, add a little water, but the batter should not be runny.

Preparing Dosa:

1. Take a non stick tawa/skillet and heat it.
2. It should be really hot, else the dosa will not go crisp.
3. Pour a spoonful of the batter on the hot skillet and spread it in a circular fashion either with the back of the spoon or with the back of a flat bowl. The circular spreading should be in a single direction and without lifting the spoon or the bowl up till you finish.
4. Slide droplets of oil on the sides of the dosa and keep the flame on high. 
5. When you see it going brown in the centre and sides, insert a nonstick flat spoon/ khurpi from the sides and lift it up. 
6. Transfer this to a plate.

 

Assembling The Roll:

1. Take the dosa and spread a layer of green chutney on it. 
2. Crush one kebab and layer it vertically in the middle line of the dosa.
3. Jewel the crushed kebab with some lemon dipped onion rings and roll it over to get that perfect 'Roll'.
4. Serve hot with your loving heart.

 

Suggestions:

1. I used ready made batter available in the market, which was as good as the home-made one. 
2. Instead of daal kebabs, you can use any other variety of kebab as well.
3. After spreading chutney, keep your hands moving fast and serve immediately, else the dosa wrap will go soft and start breaking.
4. NEVER use oil on a non stick tawa/skillet before pouring the batter. It will not let the batter stick to the base properly. Always add droplets of oil after you have already spread the batter. 
5. If you want the dosa to go crispier, add a little rice flour to the batter, add more oil, and cook it even on the other side, which is not a general way of making dosa. 
6. You can also cut the roll in small portions and serve.
7. Make sure that your chutney is not watery, but thick, otherwise the dosa base will go soggy.
8. You can also make a multigrain dosa and add kebab to it for that healthy kick.

Rajasthani Dal Baati

Thinking is an ongoing process that never ends, whether it is for some creative stuff or it's a devil's work; poor brain never takes a pause, no halt, no rest, no peace, no sleep even when you think it is sleeping (In real, your brain is always functioning, and that's why you suddenly shout amidst dark nights after seeing a lady in white with inverted feet and scary eyes; hehe...if it was sleeping, there would be no dreams. ;)).

This thinking robot has eternal powers to work for hours together unfatigued, but that doesn't mean it's never tired. It also needs to relax, chill-out and have a good time, by which I simply mean release of some 'endorphin', the happy hormone in your body. 

For me, I have it in abundance, flooding out from my eyes and with each smile, every time I cook. And then there are certain recipes, some cuisines, some delights that make you even more ecstatic and jovial when you work with them. One out of such convivial culinary experiences is when I make this authentic Rajasthani Platter with the utter flavorful 'Dal Baati', and  'Kadi Chawal' ( For sure the element missing here is 'Choorma' and for now I'm replacing it with 'Kheer').

Baati (Rajasthani: बाटी) is a hard, unleavened bread cooked in the desert areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat. It is prized there for its long shelf life and high nutritional content, as well as the minimal quantity of water required for its preparation. It is always eaten with dal. Bati is also known as litti. Litti can be enjoyed with Chokha (a type of spicy mashed potato mixed with roasted brinjal). Litti and chokha are synonymous with bread and butter in many parts of India.

Dal Bafla, or Dal Bafle, is a central Indian variation made which is boiled in water before being roasted, it is much softer and more rich in ghee than Baati as the ghee penetrates inside . Baati is also eaten in southern India, mostly by the people of the lambada community, but this form of baati is different. It is made up of jowar and is harder than the wheat bread. It is also eaten with dal, though any curry goes fine with it. Ghee is served along with the curry.

DAL BAATI

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For Dal/ Lentil Curry:

Though at home my mom always makes it with Urad Dal, but I prefer going for Panchmel/ Mixed dals to shoot the nutrient content and diversity.

1. Urad Dal/ Split Black Gram: a handful

2. Moong Dal/ Mung Bean: a handful

3. Toor Dal/ Bengal Gram/ Yellow Pigeon Peas: a handful

4. Chana Dal/ Chickpeas: a handful

5. Masoor Dal/ Red Lentils: a handful

6. Tomatoes: 3 (finely chopped)

7. Onions: 2 (finely chopped)

8. Garlic pods: 5-6 or Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbs

9.  Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp

10. Coriander Powder: 2 tsp

11. Cumin Powder: 1 tsp

12. Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp

13. Garam Masala: 1 tsp

14. Asafoetida/ Heeng: a pinch

15. Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp

14. Salt: 2 tsp or as per taste

15. Water

16. Oil: 3 tbs

17. Coriander leaves

For Baati:

1. Atta/ Whole wheat flour: 3 cups

2. Ghee/ clarified butter: 5-6 tbs for the dough and 1/2 a cup for the final dipping

3. Carrom seeds/ Ajwain: 1/4 tsp

4. Salt: 1 tsp

5. Luke warm water: for kneading the dough

Method:

For Dal:

1. Soak the dals/lentils for 2-4 hours. Then pressure cook them with the turmeric powder and salt for around 15 minutes on medium to sim flame, till they go tender, and not very mushy (like how you boil the dals on a regular basis).
2. Take a wok/kadai and heat oil in it. Once hot, throw in the cumin seeds/ jeera and wait till they splutter. Now push in the asafoetida/heeng. 
3. Immediately add chopped onions and fry till light golden on medium flame.
4. Then add in the ginger garlic paste/ chopped garlic pods and fry for 2 minutes.
5. Now sprinkle the spices onto it and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6.  Add in the chopped tomatoes and continue cooking till the oil separates from the corners and the tomatoes go all mushy and done.
7. Now transfer the boiled lentils into this and give a smooth stir to blend them all.
8. Shower a pinch of garam masala more followed by the chopped coriander leaves and cover the wok/kadai. Cook covered for a minute and put off the flame. Keep it covered. 

 

For Baati:

1. Take the atta/ whole wheat flour in a wide open dish and add salt and carrom seeds/ajwain to it.
2. Now add the ghee/ clarified butter and mix it well. The texture should be crumbly. For the perfect one, we normally check by taking a handful of the flour and closing the fist tightly, then leaving the flour gently down and seeing that it doesn't scatter immediately. If it does, add in a little more ghee. The Ghee should be melted. 
3. Now make a smooth, firm dough with it using water. The dough is not as soft as we make for roti/chapati; it is slightly hard and firm here. 
4. Cover it with a wet cloth and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes.
5. On the other hand, keep the dal for boiling.
6. Also, pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
7. Now, till the oven is getting heated and the dal boiling, chop the vegetables in the mean time.
8. Once the dough is ready, knead it well with little ghee on your palms. 
9. Then divide it into 8 equal parts and make a round ball with each part and flatten it slightly.
10. Shift them to the oven (on the grill plate) and bake at 250 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes with both rods (above and below) on, till the top goes slightly brown and hard. My oven took 20 minutes, but your oven timing may vary.
11. Bake for extra 2 minutes if you want them to be hard and crunchy. 
12. Immediately take out in a casserole and crush slightly with soft hands (don't break them into pieces please) to make some space for the ghee to penetrate the inner core. You can also make vertical slits in them using a 'chimta' or knife and then pour in ghee into the slits generously. ( And I really mean in abundance here!) 
13. After dipping them in enough ghee, put the cover on and let them sit there waiting for the final go.
14. Now prepare a plate with a bowl of dal/lentil curry, 1-2 ghee-dipped baatis, a spoonful of green mint chutney, some garlic chutney, chopped onions, a roasted papad, a glass of butter-milk or kairi pani(raw mango squash) and vroooom...there you go.
15. I also love having them with some 'Kadi Chawal' i.e. Chickpea Flour Yogurt Curry with Rice and then some Kheer/ Milk Pudding!

Suggestions:

1. The authentic dal is made just with the black grams but you can use the lentils based on the way you wish.
2. 'Choorma' is an intangible part of this meal, which makes it even more delicious and sweet. I have replaced 'Choorma' with Kheer/ Milk Pudding here because I was running short of time then, but for sure, Choorma will add in very soon to the food list.
3. The ghee used in the whole process should be the melted one. 
4. Baatis are authentically made in a tandoor, and our oven is just a variation to that. 
5. The real art lies in getting the right texture for the baatis. They should be crusty and hard outside and soft yet crumbly within. The more time you donate for baking, the harder they go, so be careful with that.
6. Don't think twice before pouring in the ghee else you miss the real taste. Also, ghee helps in keeping them moist and soft, which is pretty necessary here else you end up eating crumbly, dry mixture. 
7. Keeping the ghee-dipped baatis covered in a casserole is a must if you want them to stay soft.
8. Normally, we crush the baati to small pieces, add in ghee, dal, chopped onion and chutneys, and then enjoy with hands rather than spoons (and I still do that :), though it is slightly uncommon these days.

The recipe takes off to:

Anu’s Bake Fest, Dish For Loved Ones by Srav's,

Holi Hai at My Cook Book, Show Me Your Hits by Spicy Treats,

Kalyani’s Served with love,

Walk Through Memory Lane by Gayatri 

Duppad/ Split Chapati

 
I know most of you would be amazed at this recipe name and I'm sure you haven't even heard about something like this in your life. Is that so, really??

Well, even if it is, no worries dear; everything that is new doesn't stay new always, and it has to be known and old some time.

Now this post is actually a continuation of the previous post on Khatti Meethi Dal because this was the second recipe my friend had requested me for. You all must be aware of chapatis/roti in general and this 'Duppad' is just a variation to that.  

Chapatis are one of the most common forms in which wheat, the staple of northern South Asia, is consumed. Chapati is a form of roti or rotta (bread). The words are often used interchangeably. While roti,rotta refers to any flat unleavened bread, chapati is a roti made of whole wheat flour and cooked on a tava (flat skillet).

Chapatis are made from a firm dough made from flour (whole grain common wheat), 'atta' in Urdu/Hindi/Punjabi/Bengali, and water. Some people also add salt and/or oil to the dough. Small portions of the dough are rolled out into discs using a rolling pin. The rolled-out dough is thrown on the preheated dry skillet and cooked on both sides. In some regions it is only partly cooked on the skillet, and then put directly on a high flame, which makes it blow up like a balloon. The hot air cooks the chapati rapidly from the inside. In some parts of northern India (e.g. Punjab) and Pakistan, this is called a phulka (that which has been inflated).

Often, the top of a chapati is slathered with butter or ghee (clarified butter). A piece of chapati is torn off and used to pick up the meat or vegetable dish(es)that make the meal. It is folded into a sort of loose cone and used as a scoop to eat the more liquid dishes at a meal like dal, paneer, or sabji.

'Duppad' ( originating from: do (two) pad (layers)) is a two-layered chapati separated by a thin smear of ghee/clarified butter and wheat flour. While normal chapatis do not layer out completely, this can be layered in two individual pieces and is much softer and thinner than the usual chapati.

DUPPAD/ SPLIT CHAPATI:

Ingredients:

1. Whole wheat flour/ atta: 1 and a half cups

2. A dash of salt

3. Water: to knead the dough

4. Ghee/ clarified butter: for smearing

 Method:

1. Take 1 cup whole wheat flour/ atta and leave the rest for dusting and filling.
2. Add salt to it and knead it into a soft dough using water. ( the same as for chapati)
3. Cover it and let it sit for 20-30 minutes.
4. Now using little ghee on your palms, knead it once gain to give the shiny feel and ease. 
5. Take two small portions of the dough ( smaller than what you take for a chapati) and roll them separately into thin sheets. ( Try to size and shape them in a similar way)
6. Now take one sheet and smear it with a thin layer of melted ghee/butter. Sprinkle little whole wheat flour on it and spread evenly.
7. Place the second sheet over this and seal the corners by pressing a bit.
8. Now roll this dual-sheet into a single thin sheet (need not roll too much, else it will go uneven).
9. Heat a tawa/skillet and when done, transfer this sheet onto it.
10. Wait for it to bubble a bit, and then flip over.
11. Now let this side have some brown small spots (indicating it's cooked) and then flip again.
12. Take a glove/ cloth and press the sheet evenly on all sides with very soft hands. These will enable the heat to spread evenly and your duppad will be perfectly done.
13. Unlike chapati, this will not puff up on heating.
14. When this side is also cooked, take it off the tawa/skillet and shift it on a plate.
15. Now with care and patience, pick the upper half of it on the side and pull over gently to peel off the layer completely.
16. You will see that the chapati has split into two equals. The shape might not be like proper circles because rolling them together will certainly cause some distortion.
17. Smear them individually with ghee/butter and serve either as singles or as couples.

Suggestions:

1. To let them go softer, pile them in a casserole and serve towards the end when almost all or half are done. Piling makes them softer actually.
2. An easier method is to make two small flat balls ( and not rolled sheets) and stick them together with a layer of ghee and wheat flour amidst. Now this can be rolled into a thin sheet much easily.

 

  Submitting this recipe to:
New U  by Vardhini
Any One Can Cook by Ayeesha