A dollop of nutrition

I’ve always had a fascination for the kitchen and cooking has been an integral part of my life since childhood. I grew up helping my mother in the kitchen and picked up a few tricks from her. Like any other child, I also loved spending time in front of the television. However, instead of watching cartoons and other series, I preferred watching cooking shows.

I am from Andhra Pradesh but my family and I have been living in this city for many years now. Having grown up there, I love traditional cooking and making authentic dishes. Though I like to follow  traditional recipes, I do add my own twist to certain dishes. This is what kept my two children interested in my cooking as well. My son and daughter are grown up and are busy with their jobs now but they grew up relishing many of the dishes I made.

Instead of buying snacks from the bakery, I preferred making them at home. My husband is also very supportive of my choices. He  is straightforward and tells me if he doesn’t like something and I appreciate his comments. I do work on my shortcomings and improvise my dish the next time I make it. As I am a homemaker, I spend most of my time in the kitchen recreating recipes, taking care of the house and reading novels. I’ve also participated in various cooking shows for different channels in Hyderabad.

The last time I was on one of them, I won a prize for making ‘Soya veg bhurji’. It is a simple dish, healthy and delicious — my family also loves it when I make it at home. It was great to make something like that especially because it was a programme conducted by an American association there. It was wonderful for them to recognise a simple Indian dish such as this.

The recipe that I am sharing today is called ‘Andhra pancake’. Traditionally, it is called ‘urad dal pancake’ — a very simple and nutritious dish. This belongs to the family of ‘idli’ and ‘dosa’ but prepared differently. It’s a popular snack back home and has a long history too. Earlier, when going on long train journeys, people used to carry this snack which can also be had for dinner as it is filling and nutritious. It lasts up to two days. Even today, many Telugu homes prepare this dish as an evening snack or dinner. It’s a healthy combination of protein and carbohydrates with very little oil in it.

Kala Sastry
                  


Andhra pancake

Recipe

Pancake ingredients
n Split black gram dal,  1 cup
n Raw rice rawa, 2 cup
n Oil, 3 tbsp

Onion chutney ingredients
n Onions, 3 medium size
n Oil, 1 tbsp
n Fenugreek seeds,  ½ tsp 
n Chilli, 2
n Salt to taste
n Sugar, ½ tsp
n Tamarind pulp, 1 tsp
n Pinch of turmeric

Method to make pancake
n Wash and soak ‘urad dal’ and rice rawa separately for one hour.
n Wash and drain the water and keep soaked rawa aside. Grind the dal to a smooth paste using a little water with idli batter consistency. 
n Drain and squeeze the rice rawa and mix with dal paste, add salt, cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.
n Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a thick pan and pour the batter and spread into a circular shape with help of a big spoon. Cover with a lid.
n Heat high for 7 to 8 minutes and simmer the heat and cook on a low flame for 10 minutes. Smear oil around the batter. When it becomes brown and crispy then turn upside down and cook on a low flame for 7 to 8 minutes.
n After removing from fire allow it to stand for five minutes. Cut it into pieces and serve with onion or tomato chutney.

Method to make onion chutney
n Heat ½ tbsp oil and add onion pieces. 
n Fry till golden brown and keep aside.
n Heat ½  tbsp oil, add fenugreek seeds and chillies and fry for a minute. 
n Add to onions put in mixer jar add salt sugar, tamarind pulp and turmeric and grind. 
n Season it with mustard seeds and enjoy.