Thursday, August 29, 2013

Krishna Janmashtami spread - Neer dosa with sweet coconut milk and coconut chutney

Krishna Janmashtami marks the birth of our beloved Lord Krishna and is a day of religious fervor and celebration. Lord Krishna symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and hence this day brings hope that no matter what, ultimately, goodness and truth will prevail.


We celebrate this day with a typical Manglorean treat - Neer dosa with sweet coconut milk and coconut chutney. Old memories come flooding by on this day and I remember my mum churning out neer dosas  for the midnight feast...yes, we would wait for the 12 0' clock strike signaling the birth of Lord Krishna to start our dinner. The ringing of bells in the nearby temple would echo all around the sleepy colony and mark the birth of Balkrishna. The feeling is ethereal…sheer bliss !!



Once the clock struck 12, we would offer our prayers to the Lord and get down to enjoy the special feast. Now, I have moved to a different country where there is no ringing of the temple bells nor is there dahi handi ( breaking of the earthen pot by a human pyramid ) which invariable follows Krishna  Janmashtami. But I do have a small celebration at home and the joy pervading the house is priceless !!

Im sharing here the recipe of Neer dosa. Neer means water and dosa is well, dosa :) The  word neer comes from the fact that this dosa batter, unlike the regular batter, has a very watery consistency giving you really thin and soft melt-in-the-mouth dosas …Neer dosas do not need fermentation and hence for non-planners like me, they are a blessing in disguise. It goes well with most spicy chutneys.

Recipe source : My mum

Ingredients :
Raw rice  - 2 cups
Grated fresh coconut ( optional but lends a wonderful taste ) - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Oil - to grease the tawa

Method :

1.  Wash and soak raw rice for a minimum of 2 hours.
2.  Drain the water and grind it to a fine paste with grated coconut adding water little at a time. *
3.  Once ground finely, add water till the batter has a watery consistency.
4.  Heat a non stick tawa/ griddle . In case of non stick, you needn't apply oil but if in doubt, grease the tawa with very little oil *
5.  Take a ladleful of the batter and start pouring from the edges of the tawa towards the center ( will need some practice ). Quickly swirl the tawa so that the batter covers the empty spaces. Close the tawa with a lid and let it cook for about 20- 30 seconds. There is no need to flip. With the help of a wooden spatula, fold the neer dosa in half and fold this half again to get a quarter ( triangle shape ).If you find the neer dosa to be thick at this stage, add a little more water in the batter and continue. You will get the right consistency after judging 2-3 dosas.
6.  Transfer the dosas to a cooling rack / mesh or they will become soggy due to the moisture.
7.  Enjoy hot with sweet coconut milk and coconut chutney.

Notes :
1. Do not add too much water while grinding rice since it will be difficult to grind it to a fine consistence. Add water, little at a time.
2.  To grease the skillet with oil, I use a tiny top segment of an onion ( with the stem intact for me to hold the piece ). I simply dip the flat end of this onion piece in oil and grease the skillet by rubbing it all over. The dosas do not stick to the pan and also give a nice flavor.

Sending this recipe to Healthy breakfast event hosted by Nandoo’s kitchen




and to Nivedhanam's  South Indian Cooking Series  and to Anu's healthy kitchen



5 comments :

  1. Recently I got the opportunity to taste Neer Dosa and they are yum !!Thanks for linking to WTML!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. looks so simple, elegant and delicious!!! Thanks for linking it to my event!! Looking for more yummy recipes!!

    Sowmya

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  3. Simple and delicious recipe. My favourite. Thanks for linking this to my event. Looking for more yummy like this.

    On-going event: Healthy Breakfast.

    ReplyDelete