Namo Narayana. It is our 150th post and what better way to celebrate than write about South India’s most popular recipe-combo: Mysore masala dosa, Udipi sambar and Tiptur kaayi chutney.
While masala dosas from Mysore are regarded the best in the world for their distinct taste, Udipi sambar is a brand by itself owing to its distinct aroma. Tiptur in Tumkur district, Karnataka is popular for coconut plantations and the coconuts found here are large, sweet and hard and make a great ingredient for the ideal coconut chutney. Kaayi in Kannada translates to fresh coconut.
So here it is - Karnataka’s most celebrated cuisine:
Mysore Masala Dosa
Ingredients:
Raw rice (Preferably South Indian varieties: Sona masoori/ponni) 3 cups
Black gram (minapappu/Uraddal/Uddinbele) 1 cup
Greengram (Pesarapappu/Moongdal) 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds (Menthulu/Methi) 1 tsp
Red chillies 4-5
Green chillies 2
Onions 2
Potatoes (aloo) 4
Mustard seeds (Aavalu/Rai) 1 tsp
Bengal gram (Senaga bedalu/chanadal) 1 tsp
Curry leaves 4-5
Chopped coriander 4 tsp
Ginger ½ inch
Refined cooking oil
Pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste
Method:
While masala dosas from Mysore are regarded the best in the world for their distinct taste, Udipi sambar is a brand by itself owing to its distinct aroma. Tiptur in Tumkur district, Karnataka is popular for coconut plantations and the coconuts found here are large, sweet and hard and make a great ingredient for the ideal coconut chutney. Kaayi in Kannada translates to fresh coconut.
So here it is - Karnataka’s most celebrated cuisine:
Mysore Masala Dosa
Ingredients:
Raw rice (Preferably South Indian varieties: Sona masoori/ponni) 3 cups
Black gram (minapappu/Uraddal/Uddinbele) 1 cup
Greengram (Pesarapappu/Moongdal) 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds (Menthulu/Methi) 1 tsp
Red chillies 4-5
Green chillies 2
Onions 2
Potatoes (aloo) 4
Mustard seeds (Aavalu/Rai) 1 tsp
Bengal gram (Senaga bedalu/chanadal) 1 tsp
Curry leaves 4-5
Chopped coriander 4 tsp
Ginger ½ inch
Refined cooking oil
Pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste
Method:
Wash and soak the raw rice and black gram separately for around 3-4 hours. Add a tbsp green gram and a tsp fenugreek seeds to the rice while soaking.
Now grind all the soaked ingredients together into a fine paste to make dosa batter. The batter should not be loose or too hard. It has to be of milkshake consistency, easy to spread on the pan to bake the dosas. Add a pinch of salt to the batter and mix well. Cover and store in a moisture-free place for 10-12 hours for the batter to ferment. After 10-12 hours, it is best to refrigerate the batter, so that the batter is not spoilt.
Soak 4-5 red chillies for 15 mins. Add the soaked red chillies, 1 onion (peeled and cut into cubes) and salt to taste and blend to a fine paste. This is the red chutney.
Wash and boil the potatoes until soft without peeling. If using a pressure cooker, pressure cook to 3 whistles. If using a microwave, cook on medium until around 15 mins. Once done, set aside to cool or place under running coldwater and peel the potatoes. Cut into cubes and set aside.
Finely chop the onions, ginger and green chillies.
Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan, add a tsp each of mustard seeds, Bengal gram and as they pop, add a pinch of turmeric, chopped green chillies, curry leaves, chopped ginger and sauté till the onions turn golden brown. (Completely fried onions do not gel with this curry.) Add the potato cubes, chopped coriander and salt to taste. Mix well so that the potatoes get mashed and evenly spiced. The ‘masala’ for the masala dosai is ready.
Heat a flat pan/dosa tava for a min or two, take a cup of dosa batter and spread in circular motion. For crisp dosas, spread the batter more. Add oil all along the circumference of the dosa and leave it to bake. Keep turning the dosa to cook on both sides. As the dosa bakes, apply or spread the red chutney. Place the masala or potato curry in the centre and fold to a hemisphere.
Remove and serve with the Udipi sambar and Tiptur kaayi chutney.
Udipi Sambar
Preparation time: 25-30 mins.
Ingredients:
Drumstick 1
Sambar onions (ullipaya) 1 cup
Pigeon peas (Kandipappu/toor dal) 1 cupTamarind/Tamarind paste 1 tbsp
Fresh and grated coconut 3 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds (Menthulu/methi) 1 tsp
Coriander seeds (Dhaniyalu/Dhania) 1 tsp
Red chillies 2
Black gram 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Ghee 2 tsp
Curry leaves 4-5
Fresh coriander 4 tsp
Salt to taste
Method:
Dry roast fenugreek seeds and coriander seeds. Once cool, add 2 tbsp coconut, red chillies and grind to fine paste.
Pressure cook 1 cup pigeon peas to 3 whistles. If using a microwave, boil for 20 mins.
Peel and chop the sambar onions (or an onion). Cut the drumstick into finger length pieces.
In a pan/kadai heat ghee, add mustard seeds, black gram and as they pop, add curry leaves and sambar onions. Fry until the raw smell is gone. Add the drumstick and sauté for 2 mins. Add tamarind paste/tamarind, 1 to 2 cups water, and salt to taste, and boil for 15 mins.
Once the drumstick is cooked, add cooked pigeon peas and boil for five mins. Add the ground coconut paste and boil until the sambar feels thick and juicy ala a gravy.
Blend 1 tbsp fresh and grated coconut and 4tsp coriander to make a dry mixture. Garnish the sambar with this mixture.
(Along with drumsticks, vegetables like cluster beans, carrots and potatoes can be added to this particular sambar. We generally don’t add them when the sambar is a supplement to the masala dosa because the masala already contains potato)
The Udipi sambar is ready.
Tiptur Kaayi Chutney
Preparation time: 5-10 mins
Ingredients:
Coconut (Pachi kobbari) 1
Red chillies 12
Tamarind 1 blob
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Coriander 1 bunch
Curry leaves 4-5
Refined cooking oil 1 tsp
Pinch asafoetida (Hing/inguva)
Salt to taste
Now grind all the soaked ingredients together into a fine paste to make dosa batter. The batter should not be loose or too hard. It has to be of milkshake consistency, easy to spread on the pan to bake the dosas. Add a pinch of salt to the batter and mix well. Cover and store in a moisture-free place for 10-12 hours for the batter to ferment. After 10-12 hours, it is best to refrigerate the batter, so that the batter is not spoilt.
Soak 4-5 red chillies for 15 mins. Add the soaked red chillies, 1 onion (peeled and cut into cubes) and salt to taste and blend to a fine paste. This is the red chutney.
Wash and boil the potatoes until soft without peeling. If using a pressure cooker, pressure cook to 3 whistles. If using a microwave, cook on medium until around 15 mins. Once done, set aside to cool or place under running coldwater and peel the potatoes. Cut into cubes and set aside.
Finely chop the onions, ginger and green chillies.
Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan, add a tsp each of mustard seeds, Bengal gram and as they pop, add a pinch of turmeric, chopped green chillies, curry leaves, chopped ginger and sauté till the onions turn golden brown. (Completely fried onions do not gel with this curry.) Add the potato cubes, chopped coriander and salt to taste. Mix well so that the potatoes get mashed and evenly spiced. The ‘masala’ for the masala dosai is ready.
Heat a flat pan/dosa tava for a min or two, take a cup of dosa batter and spread in circular motion. For crisp dosas, spread the batter more. Add oil all along the circumference of the dosa and leave it to bake. Keep turning the dosa to cook on both sides. As the dosa bakes, apply or spread the red chutney. Place the masala or potato curry in the centre and fold to a hemisphere.
Remove and serve with the Udipi sambar and Tiptur kaayi chutney.
Udipi Sambar
Preparation time: 25-30 mins.
Ingredients:
Drumstick 1
Sambar onions (ullipaya) 1 cup
Pigeon peas (Kandipappu/toor dal) 1 cupTamarind/Tamarind paste 1 tbsp
Fresh and grated coconut 3 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds (Menthulu/methi) 1 tsp
Coriander seeds (Dhaniyalu/Dhania) 1 tsp
Red chillies 2
Black gram 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Ghee 2 tsp
Curry leaves 4-5
Fresh coriander 4 tsp
Salt to taste
Method:
Dry roast fenugreek seeds and coriander seeds. Once cool, add 2 tbsp coconut, red chillies and grind to fine paste.
Pressure cook 1 cup pigeon peas to 3 whistles. If using a microwave, boil for 20 mins.
Peel and chop the sambar onions (or an onion). Cut the drumstick into finger length pieces.
In a pan/kadai heat ghee, add mustard seeds, black gram and as they pop, add curry leaves and sambar onions. Fry until the raw smell is gone. Add the drumstick and sauté for 2 mins. Add tamarind paste/tamarind, 1 to 2 cups water, and salt to taste, and boil for 15 mins.
Once the drumstick is cooked, add cooked pigeon peas and boil for five mins. Add the ground coconut paste and boil until the sambar feels thick and juicy ala a gravy.
Blend 1 tbsp fresh and grated coconut and 4tsp coriander to make a dry mixture. Garnish the sambar with this mixture.
(Along with drumsticks, vegetables like cluster beans, carrots and potatoes can be added to this particular sambar. We generally don’t add them when the sambar is a supplement to the masala dosa because the masala already contains potato)
The Udipi sambar is ready.
Tiptur Kaayi Chutney
Preparation time: 5-10 mins
Ingredients:
Coconut (Pachi kobbari) 1
Red chillies 12
Tamarind 1 blob
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Coriander 1 bunch
Curry leaves 4-5
Refined cooking oil 1 tsp
Pinch asafoetida (Hing/inguva)
Salt to taste
Method:
Break the coconut and grate the inner white fruit portion.
Dry roast the red chillies and warm the grated coconut in a pan.
Blend to fine paste: coconut, red chillies, tamarind/tamarind paste, salt and the coriander chopped.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and as they pop add curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida.
Pour the seasoning over the chutney and mix.
Relish the Tiptur coconut chutney, Udipi sambar and Mysore masala dosa. As evident, we have not mentioned the number of servings, reason: the super combo is an all-time all-age favorite and everyone at home is just asking for more.
