Recipes from Radhapriya devi dasi

Here are some nice recipes from Radha Priya Devi Dasi who regularly cooks for Gurumaharaja.  He likes these recipes very much.
( recipes written by Radha Priya Devi Dasi )

Oothapam

* Soak 1 cup yellow mung dhal in the morning together with half teaspoon of methi seeds.

* Soak for 5 hours and drain the water.
* Blend until smooth, adding only a little water, if required (the longer you blend, the better the batter).

* Add 1 teaspoon of  soma salt and mix well.

* Cover the batter and leave undisturbed in a warm place (i usually leave it in the oven).

* The next day, the batter should have lots of little bubbles .It is now ready.

For the topping:

Mix together paneer, 2 cherry tomatoes, diced chopped dhania, half teaspoon ground jeera and a little salt.

To make oothapam:

* Heat a non-stick pan.( if it's a good pan, you do not need to use any ghee.)

* When pan is hot, drop a ladle of batter into pan (like a pancake),do not flatten.

* When batter begins to dry on top of oothapam, turn over and spread a little of the paneer mixture on top of the oothapam.

* Cook for another 1-2 minutes.

* Repeat with the rest of batter.

*** Oothapams should be made fresh and served immediately. It is usually served with a chutney.


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Dosa

* Make batter the same way as for oothapams, but slightly thinner.

* Drop spoonful of batter into hot pan, and quickly spread out thin (add more water if batter is not spreading easily).

* Turn over once little holes appear on top.

* Dosa can be served with sambar and chutney, or rolled up with a filling .

* Dosa should be made fresh and served hot.

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Kiroch (Mauritian recipe)


* Use large red or green chard leaves for this recipe.

*Cut off stems and wash leaves well.

* Make a thick batter with 2 cups mung flour, 1 tsp of Maharaj's spice mix, 1 tsp soma salt, 1/2 tsp tumeric and enough water to make the batter spreadable.

* Spread batter over each leaf, stacking the leaves on top of each other, then roll up the leaves tightly .(I usually use 3-4 leaves per roll).  Save about 1 tablespoon of batter for the sauce.

* Have a steaming pot ready with a basket that fits snugly in it. Place chard rolls in basket and steam on high for 15-20 minutes.

* Remove from steamer and allow to cool. Cut up kiroch into swirls and pan-fry for a few minutes (using only a very small amount of ghee).

For the sauce:

* Blend 4to5 cherry tomatoes.

* In a pan, heat ghee then add about 1/2 tsp ground jeera and tomatoes. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.

* Mix the extra 1tablespoon of batter with some water and add to tomatoes. You can also add a little salt and remember there is some salt in the batter. Cook for another 5-7 minutes.

* You might have to add more water as the sauce thickens .

* When sauce is ready, add chopped dhania.

*   Add the kiroch into the sauce when Maharaj is ready to eat.

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Vanilla sponge cake

In a bowl, mix together:

* 1 cup water

* 1 tsp vanilla essence
* 1 cup sugar

* 1 tblsp fresh squeezed lime juice

1/2 cup applesauce



Then add:

* 11/2 cups of spelt flour (you might need a little more).

* pinch of soma salt

* 1 teaspoon baking soda


* Mix all ingredients well and pour into greased pan.
* Bake in pre-heated oven (350) for about 25 minutes.


*** The cake can be served with different toppings, such as custard, shrikand, cooked down berries like strawberries or blueberries.



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