Uttapam is a well know South Indian breakfast dish which belongs to the dosa family. Generally most of the dosa’s are thin and crispy however; uttapam is thick and soft similar to pancakes. The batter for preparing any kind of dosa is the same however; the cooking process is different for different kinds of dosas. Uttapam is generally topped with vegetables like onions, tomatos and carrots and served with coconut chutney and sambhar. The batter for regular uttapam is prepared using 1 cup of urad daal and 3 cups of idli rice, however; in this recipe I have used red rice, quinoa, yellow moog daal and red poha to prepare the batter. This is slightly different than traditional uttapam and gives a different taste and texture to it. You can add your favorite veggies and the healthy uttapam is a perfect breakfast and after school snacks for kids.
Archives
Maharashtrian Kadhi
Kadhi, the name itself brings a tangy taste in one’s mouth. Kadhi is very simple side dish prepared mainly using gram flour and sour curd. In different part of India, there are many variations of Kadhi. I have earlier shared some of the variations like Bihari Kadhi Bari and Punjabi Kadhi. This recipe is specifically based on how it is prepared in Maharashtra and very easy to prepare. The delicious side dish goes very well with roti, plain rice as well as famous Maharashtrian masala bhaat. 
Multi Adai Paniyaram
Paniyaram is one of very popular breakfast or appetizer dish in Southern part of India. It is prepared from batter which is pretty similar to Dosa/Idli batter. I have already shared the regular Paniyaram recipe earlier, this recipe a little variation to the original recipe. The major ingredient for this recipe is mix of various kind of daal (pulses), beans, brown rice and rava. I have also added grated beetroot to a refreshing color as well as nice taste. The batter needs at least 6 to 7 hours of fermentation. The paniyram tastes great with samber, coconut or tomtato chutney. You would need paniyarm pan to prepare this recipe which is generally available in Indian grocery stores. These cute little balls works great as appetizer for your guests as well as for kid’s lunch boxes. 
Stuffed Red Chili Pickle
Red Chili … as the name sounds it’s hot. In northern part of India, red chili is available during the winter season and mostly used to make the pickle (achar in hindi). I had been searching for this kind of chili here and finally found in Walmart store. Although this is not exactly the same type which is generally used however pretty close. I have seen my grand mother and mother making this pickle during my childhood. I am really glad to share this traditional recipe from my Mom. This pickle is made from mixture of various spices and mustard oil. Mustard oil give a authentic taste to the Pickles. There are certain important steps in making this pickle, one is that red chili needs to be dried up in sun light for at least 3-4 hrs. so that the moisture contents goes away and once again after preparing the pickle it needs to be left in sunlight for at least a week in a glass container. This pickle could be little spicy however goes very well with Paratha or side of any meal especially rice and yellow daal or khichadi. Hope you would enjoy this pickle as part of your meal. 
Quinoa Mix Daal Adai Dosa
Mix Daal Dosa is one of the many different types of Dosa found in South India. Mix daal dosa is prepared using a variety of daal (pulses), beans, quinoa and brown rice. Mix daal dosa is full of protein and a very healthy breakfast. Adding quinoa to the recipe makes it even more healthy and delicious. This dosa does not require overnight fermentation process, however, if you wish you can leave it for 3-4 hours to ferment. If you like your Dosa crispy, you can add a little rice flour into batter. Normally, this dosa is served with potato masala, sambar and coconut chutney. You can also try it with guacamole and it tastes just as good.
Ridge Gourd(Uppu Huli) Dosa
Ridge Gourd(Uppu Huli) Dosa is one of the traditional cuisine of Udupi, Mangalore region popularly know as Dakshina Kannada. People here are well known for their unique cooking style with minimum or no wastage. They cook from almost all edible parts of any given vegetables. Ridge gourd is one of the locally grown vegetable. This dosa is usually prepared during rainy or winter season to keep the body warm. There are few variation of this dosa too. Ridge Gourd can be replaced with fine chopped onion, fenugreek leaves or fine chopped cabbage. However Ridge gourd is the most famous authentic and tasty among all variation.
The batter of ridge gourd dosa is made with rice and flavored with methi seeds, coriander seeds, chili, tamarind pulp, jaggery and freshly grated coconut. The right amount of tanginess, spiciness and fresh aroma of coriander seeds gives a trickle to your taste bud. You can adjust the spiciness as per your taste. This dosa doesn’t require any fermentation before preparation. The texture and taste of ridge gourd dosa makes it very different than other any other regular dosa. It’s not as crispy as other regular dosas however it taste really awesome. Traditional recipe does not include Quinoa in the dosa however I have added it give a slight twist. My kids are very picky eater and they doesn’t like any vegetable which they can see, so I generally grind the vegetable and mix it in batter. My kids loved ground ridge gaurd dosa. Goes well when served with hot cup of tea as breakfast.
I learnt about this dosa from one my friend Akhila Ramakrishna as she prepared it for dinner when we visited her place. She is really a good cook especially Mangalore special foods. I am very thankful to her for sharing this recipe with me which helped me posting it on my blog site.
Homemade Rasam Powder
Rasam is a south Indian lentil soup flavoured with tamarind, tomatoes and rasam powder. Rasam can be served as a soup or as a side for white rice. Rasam powder is easily available in Indian grocery store however fresh homemade rasam powder gives a wonderful taste and aroma to your rasam. The rasam powder is made with blend of Indian dry roasted spices. In southern part of India, people make rasam powder or any spices mix in a bulk and it comes in various varieties. You can adjust the spiciness by adding chili & black pepper corn in this recipe as per your choice.
Masala Dosa
Masala dosa is a one of the popular breakfast dish in southern part of India, however loved across the India. There are varieties of dosa recipes like plain dosa, paper dosa, rava dosa, ragi dosa, mysore masala dosa and so on. This recipe is traditional and made with main ingredients as urad daal and rice. Masala dosa is all time favorite of my family. Generally masala of masala dosa is made of potato and onion, however in this recipe I have given a small twist by adding bell pepper to the same which gives a little different taste and flavor. Masala dosa goes very well with sambhar and coconut, peanut or tomato chutney. The recipe requires preparation a day before you want to make Masala Dosa.