Green gram and oats dosa

Sometimes planning for breakfast on lazy weekends when I have no clue where to start with makes it a task I can do without. I ask my husband if he had something specific in mind and then I can go about it. But the usual reply will be "whatever you think is good enough".  That is some help I was hoping for. I also want to get away from the regular on the menu dishes only when I have time on hand. There is not much I do when it is just the two of us. Now that my daughter is here, she comes up with her wishlist and my husband has no option but to go with it. Thus, when she asked me why I had not posted this dosai with whole green gram on the blog so far, I had the Saturday's breakfast set.

I usually adapt the recipe from Ms. Mallika Badrinath given in the book 100 Tiffin Varieties. This time I put my own proportions and varied the ingredients. I had some white oats on hand that needed to be used up quickly. So, I soaked the green gram overnight, the oats was given a thorough wash and left to keep the moisture for a few minutes before grinding. Since this is one dosai that does not require fermentation, I put the ingredients to grind in the morning and let the batter sit until only I made the side dish. the green chillis and the whole gram gave the dosai a nice green colour. The oats gave it some softness and it was perfect for us.

Susan's My Legume Love Affair is now an event taken up by Lisa's Kitchen. This month's Edition 61 is being hosted by Aparna. I would love this recipe to be featured there.

Ingredients:
Makes 10 slightly thick Dosais
1 & 1/2 cups whole green gram/ mung beans
1/2 cup white or quick cooking oats
5 green chillis (adjust according to heat and required spice level)
2 tablespoons horse gram (optional)
Salt to taste
Few teaspoons cooking oil

Method:
Wash the green gram and the horse gram giving a few rinses. Drain and soak them together in sufficient water for a few hours. I soak them overnight.
About half an hour prior to grinding, wash the oats clean and drain allowing it to retain some moisture.
Run the soaked legumes along with the green chillis. Once they have been ground coarsely, add the oats and run the machine for a few minutes more to achieve a batter that is not very fine.
Remove the batter from the jar of the machine and add the salt. Give a few brisk stirs to mix the salt.
Heat the gridle/ non stick pan. Drop a ladle full of the batter and spread in circular dosai.
Drizzle some oil over the batter.
Flip it over and when both sides are done remove from the pan.
Serve hot with chutney of choice.

You may adjust the texture of the batter according to the thickness you desire for the dosai. I usually have it thick and like to pat it around the pan with my palm. It is also easy to spread like regular rice and dhal ground dosais.
You may chop onions and add to the batter or spread them over while cooking the dosai.
Though fermentation is not required, there is no harm making the batter ahead for later use.
I have served them here with tomato-onion gojju and milagai podi.
Enjoy them with your choice of side dishes.

We Knead to Bake - Savoury Kugekhopf

It has been very quiet here for the past few months. We had relocated to a new country and thus the lull. It seems to me that this once it has taken longer than usual to be fully settled and be back in routine.
I have had to miss baking along with the group, guided by Aparna for the last three breads. Those, I am soon baking and will also share the recipes. This month's chosen bread was a savoury Kugelhopf. Kugelhopf is a sweet cake baked with yeast. Regarding the origin and related history of this cake please read them in Aparna's  post. Also that it is baked in a specific pan thus giving it a rounded and risen shape. It is baked in many regions not just as an everyday dish, but also to mark special occasions.

We trod away from the traditional sweet version and tried the lesser known spiced savoury bread for this month. However, I did not have the right type of pan and had to bake it in the normal loaf tin. We liked the spices and the texture of this slightly heavy bread. It pairs well as a side for soup or even with tea. It also makes for a good breakfast, which we enjoyed.

This bread had eggs in the list of ingredients which I have substituted with flax seed powder. The given quantity of ingredients were sufficient to bake one big loaf in the regular size pan. If you are using a bundt pan or the kugelhopf pan it will require an 8" diameter pan.

Ingredients:
3 to 3&1/2cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt ( or more as per individual's taste)
75 grams butter at room temperature
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons flax seed powder mixed with 6 tablespoons warm water ( this is substitute for 2 eggs lightly beaten)
1 teaspoon oil
1/3 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/3 cup firm tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed and chopped fine
1 cup onions finely chopped
1/2 cup any sharp cheese diced
1/3 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoon coarsely crushed black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Method:
Put 3 cups of flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of the processor. 
Pulse a couple of times to mix. Then add the butter in small parts, and process till well incorporated. 
Warm the milk slightly. Add this to the above and process till mixed. 
Add the flax seed water mixture to this and process till mixed. The resultant will be a soft and sticky dough. Knead some more, adding more flour, a little at a time and just enough till the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Do not add more flour than absolutely necessary. 
This dough will be very soft, elastic and just short of sticky. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and keep aside to rise until double in volume. This can take from 1 1/2 hours to 2 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, heat 1/2 a teaspoon oil in a pan. Add the chopped green bell pepper, the tomato and a pinch of salt and stir-fry till the raw smell disappears but the vegetables are still crisp and crunchy. Remove and keep aside. 

In the same pan, add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil and sauté the onions with a pinch of salt till they turn golden brown. Remove and mix them with the tomatoes and bell peppers and keep aside.
Oil the walls and floor of the pan. Place some of the chopped walnuts in the bottom of the mould. If  using a loaf tin, keep aside some walnuts to press on top of the dough after the second rise, just before baking. 
Once the dough has risen, deflate it. Then work the cheese, stir-fried onions, bell pepper and tomato, the remaining walnuts, black pepper and thyme into the dough.Roll the dough out and spread the above mixture over the surface, fold the dough over and then knead it. This will ensure uniform incorporation of the “filling”. The dough will be a bit sticky, so it is recommended to use a scraper to help with the kneading. do not add more flour.

If using a kugelhopf mould or a circular bundt pan, roll the dough into a long log enough to fit into the mould comfortably. Lift the “log” of dough and place it in the mould in a circular fashion and pinch the two ends together to close the “circle” of dough. Cover and let the dough rise for about an hour or so, until it reaches the edge/ rim of the mould.
I had to just roll it well in a cylinder and fit into my loaf tin. I pressed the walnuts kept aside earlier on the top of this before the second rise.
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C. Bake the kugelhopf at 200 degrees C for about 35 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when it is tapped. 

When done, allow to cool slightly and remove from the pan/ mould. Let it cool on a rack. Slice and serve. 
This Kugelhopf should serve about 10 people and is also good for breakfast, as a snack or served with a simple soup.