Rice is a staple food of more than half of the world’s population and is an inexpensive, nutritious source of energy. There are many varieties of rice that differ in color, flavor and nutritional value, such as brown rice, white rice, red rice, black rice, etc., 

Red rice a.k.a cargo rice is a type of non-glutinous,  russet-colored long grain rice, that is similar to brown rice, in that it is unpolished and is healthier than plain old white rice.  It is nutty flavor and soft texture, that goes well with most of the dishes using in place of white rice. 

As you all know white rice contains fewer nutrients than brown, black or red varieties, as its husk, bran layer and the germ is removed. So, consuming whole grains over refined grains an excellent choice for health by making nutritious additions to your diet. 

If you are looking for an alternative to your usual white/brown rice, consider trying red rice because it is a whole grain with a good source of fiber and iron and also fat-free. Red rice definitely makes a healthy addition to your diet. 

 Dosa is a very common, tasty and filling breakfast from south India. It’s more like a crepe, a thin pancake. The procedure of preparing dosa batter involves soaking rice, urad dal, and fenugreek seeds for 4-6 hours and grinding to a smooth paste and fermenting overnight. The fermented dosa batter is then spread on a hot tawa to yield a delicious dosa that can be enjoyed with any chutney or sambar. Making dosas is a tedious process but the end result is worth, a day-long wait to enjoy the irresistible scrumptious dosas. So why not make this dosa dish for the whole family to enjoy a healthy version. Here is a dosa recipe with the nutritious red rice along with watermelon rind making it, even more, healthier dish. Yes, you read it right! its watermelon rind in this dosa recipe.

Like its cousin-cucumber, the entire watermelon can be eaten, although people tend to only eat the inner pink flesh and throw away the watermelon rind. The black seeds and rind is entirely edible and has many health benefits. After using the flesh part, store the watermelon rind in the refrigerator in an airtight box and use it later to make many dishes from chutneys to pickles. Finding ways to use watermelon rind for food, such as pickles, relishes or jam, extends the functionality of this fruit.

But I tried adding the rind to dosa while making the batter, happy I found another best way to use the healthy rind in our daily food without wasting it, also dosas were as crispy and tasty as the normal dosas with added on health benefits. The dosas with rind do have a slight watermelon flavor that is so good and who would not love to try watermelon flavored dosa.  Yummier than ever!!

I always use cast iron to make dosas. You could use a Non-Stick Tawa or Cast-Iron Tawa. Though Non-Stick Tawas make the job easier, I personally recommend using Cast iron and works best all the time I have made these dosas.

Cast iron cookware is inexpensive, hold a high heat capacity, free of chemicals, add trace amounts of iron to your food, and last—well—forever.

Remember to keep the cast-iron tawa/skillet well seasoned always and exclusive for making dosa. Using the same Tawa for making Roti/Chapathi, would make it harder for making dosas the next time. 

The right temperature of tawa need to be maintained for making this dosa, also the consistency of the batter should be not too thick and not too watery. Don’t worry if dosa sticks anytime and you find hard to scrape out. Just get the tawa off the stove and scrape and once clean, rub oil using half cut onion/potato. The Tawa is all set to make dosas again.

Enjoy this dosa for breakfast or even an evening snack or pack it for lunch box. Serve Dosa with chutney of your choice and sambar.

Today I served dosa with yummy PEANUT CHUTNEY and Chutney Powder topped with ghee.

You might want to try chutney with Watermelon Rind

WATERMELON RIND CHUTNEY

HOW TO MAKE RED RICE DOSA(with Watermelon Rind) STEP BY STEP:

1.Rinse 1 cup red rice, ¼ cup urad dal, ½ tsp methi, and ¼ cup red poha thoroughly and soak together in enough water for 5-6 hours.

2. Peel the green skin from watermelon rind(white part, some amount of red fruit is fine too). Roughly chop about a cup of rind and set aside. You could store remaining rind in the refrigerator for later use.

3. Drain the water from soaked rice and dal mixture. Grind the soaked rice and dal to a smooth batter, along with watermelon rind(i did not use any water while grinding)

4. Transfer the ground batter to a deep bowl(which has enough space for the batter to rise. Set in a warm place to ferment for about 8-10 hours or overnight.

5. Once the batter has well risen (doubles the volume), add salt as per taste and mix well. The batter should be thick and pouring consistency. Add water if required to attain pouring consistency, but I did not use water here, as the water from the rind was sufficient to attain the right consistency.

6. Heat a pre-seasoned Cast Iron Dosa Tawa on a med-low flame. When hot, sprinkle water and wipe with a clean towel. Drizzle a few drops of oil and wipe using a paper towel. Pour a ladle of dosa batter and spread in a circular motion. Drizzle oil/ghee on top and edges.

7. Once the dosa is firm and light brown, fold and serve hot with any curry or chutney or sambar.

Healthy & Tasty Dosa is Ready to Relish!!

If you want to know HOW TO SELECT & STORE WATERMELON, also 3 delicious WATERMELON COOLERS recipe, check out…

WATERMELON COOLERS 

You might want to try other chutney recipes…

• Peanut Chutney
• Coconut Chutney
• Gongura Chutney
• Radish Chutney
• Cabbage Chutney
• Red Capsicum Chutney
• Watermelon Rind Chutney

Tried this Recipe?

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The post Red Rice Dosa with Watermelon Rind appeared first on KaviRuchi.

how to make idli batter at home ?

Idli batter is prepared with idli rice and urad dal. In south India, vegetarian recipes index without idli dosa with sambar is incomplete. Idli recipe and dosa recipe has very important place in South India . IR 20 rice variety or vellaikar rice are best rice for idli. soft idli recipe goes well with coconut chutney, sambar, Kara chutney and tomato chutney

Idli ingredients:

• Idly rice (vellaikar rice) – 1 kilogram
• Ponni rice – ½ kilogram
• Black Urad dal – 175 gram
• White urad dal – 75 gram
• Fenugreek seeds – 2 spoons
• Water to soak and grind idly batter

Steps to grinding idli batter/ making batter :

• To Begin soak idli rice in a bowl for minimum 4 hours
• Soak white and black urad dal separately for 4 hours (add fenugreeks seeds in last 15 minutes).
• After 4 hours, wash white urad dal two times and keep it aside.
• Mean while take a black urad dal then remove black part of the urad dal and keep it a side.
• Now put both urad dal in to grinder (table top grinder is best grinder for dosa batter preparation), and then grind up to 20 to 30 minutes till urad dal become fluffy.
• At middle interval add ice cubes instead of water in urad dal, it will increase quantity of urad dal and reduce grinding heat.
• Take a idli batter container and pour urad dal batter, and then pour washed rice in grinder and grind up to light semi coarse consistency by adding little amount of water(should not add too much water. consistency should be light thick).
• Next mix urad dal batter and rice batter with required salt and ferment up to minimum 10 hours.
• Once fermentation completed mix again and well and keep it a side.
• The perfect batter is ready to make soft and spongy idllies.
• idli batter proportion : vellaikar rice 1 Kg + Ponni rice 500 gram : Black urad dal 175 Gram + White urad dal 75 Gram.

Tips:

• idli sambar recipe with chutney is very popular Indian break fast recipe
• Are idli and dosa batter same :To make dosa batter recipe add little amount of water and make dosa. (Don’t add too much water; it will be semi flowing consistency)
• If you want dosa very crispy means add 1:1 ratio of ponni rice and ration rice.
• Otherwise you can also use aval (Flattened rice) for making dosa as crispy. (Probably 1 cup of aval)
• some people preparing idli dosa batter recipe with mixie

Frequently asked questions:

• how long should idli batter ferment: The dough prepared for making idli rises when kept overnight because of the production of carbon dioxide gas in it. This gas is produced as a byproduct of process of fermentation (anaerobic respiration/respiration in absence of oxygen) in batter of black lentils or rice which is used to cook idli.
• what to do if idli batter is not fermented: You can leave it for couple more hours in the open. Mix the batter and leave it in a warm place.
• visit to know learn how to Mini Sambar Idly recipe
• Visit for idly maavu recipe in tamil=> idli batter preparation in tamil

The post Idli batter, How to make idli batter recipe, idli batter for soft idli appeared first on Famous Indian Recipes.

how to make Instant Ragi Dosa ?

Finger Millet is a nutritious grain which is staple food in most of the South India. This Ragi Dosa also know as Finger Millet Dosa and Nachni Dosa. Instant ragi dosa made with homemade sprouted ragi flour is a healthy breakfast/Dinner for babies, toddlers and kids. Lets see how to prepare Instant Ragi Dosa with simple steps

Ingredients:

• Ragi flour – 1 cup
• Water to mix ragi flour
• Salt to taste

For seasoning:

• Oil – 3 spoons
• Mustard seeds – ½ tea spoon
• Chana dal – 1 spoon
• Big Onion – 1 (finely chopped)
• Red chilli – 1 no
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Steps to cook instant ragi dosa:

1. Take a bowl add one cup of ragi flour, required salt then mix well and keep it aside.
2. Turn on the stove. place a fry pan when it is heated add oil, after one minute add mustard seeds when it is splutters add chana dal fry for a second.
3. Now add finely chopped onion fry till it become transparent, then add red chilli and curry leaves then fry for a minute then switch off the stove.
4. Next take a ragi mixture in bowl add these fried item into ragi flour.
5. This is time to add required water in to ragi flour then mix well.
6. Ragi dosa batter should be in not thick and not thin consistency.
7. Switch on the stove place a dosa tawa, when it is heated sprinkle some water and pour the instant ragi dosa batter and make dosa.
8. Turn other side and cooked well both sides of ragi dosa.
9. Healthy, easy and instant ragi dosa is ready to serve.
10. Serve this ragi dosa with tomato chutney and coconut chutney etc.,
11. More millet recipes from Famous Indian Recipes | kambu curd rice | Varagu Arisi Ven Pongal | Ragi murukku recipe | varagu rice dosa | Ragi vada |

Tips:

• Here I used simple method to cook easy and healthy ragi dosa version and anyone can try it.
• We can also prepare ragi dosa with curd. but i tried instant ragi dosa without curd.
• Some people like to have ragi dosa with rice flour. Here i shared instant ragi dosa without rice flour. Even some people trying ragi dosa with urad dal.

Ragi dosa health benefits

• Loaded with Calcium
• Helps in Controlling Diabetes
• Reverts Skin Ageing
• Battles Anemia
• Relaxes the Body
• Helps in Weight Loss

The post Instant Ragi Dosa – how to make Instant Ragi Dosa, Finger Millet Dosa appeared first on Famous Indian Recipes.