Banana Paratha

Dough

4 cups whole- wheat flour

2 teaspoons oil

½ teaspoon salt

1¾ cups warm water

½ cup all purpose flour for dusting

¼ cup oil for the skillet

2 green raw bananas (not plantains)

1 Idaho or Russet potato

4 cups water (or enough to cover the vegetables)

Spices

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon ground red pepper

½ teaspoon Amchoor/mango powder (optional)

4 long green chilies chopped

½ cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Method:

In a bowl mix flour, salt and oil. Add water and make dough; set aside in a bowl, covered.

Peel the banana ridges not entire skin. Cut banana in half and cut it again lengthwise in half. Place cut pieces in salt water. Repeat with the second banana. You should have a total of eight pieces. Wash potato and cut into half lengthwise.

Boil water in a four-quart saucepan. Add banana pieces and potatoes. Cook until the bananas and potatoes are soft in the middle. Drain them into a colander and let them cool. Peel bananas and finely chop the skins. Peel potatoes pieces and discard the skins.

Mash bananas, banana skins and potatoes. Add all the spices and mix well. Make twelve balls.

Make twelve balls out of the dough and dust each with flour.

Take each dough ball and flatten it into a three-inch patty. Put one banana ball into the patty and wrap the dough around it until no banana filling is showing.  Seal the dough and roll it gently with a rolling pin on a floured surface to make a five-inch circle (Paratha).  Repeat this with the remaining dough and banana balls.

Heat a skillet on medium heat.  Spread half a teaspoon of oil onto the skillet and wipe it with a paper towel. Transfer rolled Paratha onto the skillet and roast it with half a teaspoon of oil on both sides until light brown on both sides.

Tastes great with any chutney.

Make twelve Parathas.

NOTE: Can be made without potato. Use three green bananas instead of two. Do not use plantains. Use very green bananas before they ripen.

Suran Dosa

1 packet (12ounces) frozen Suran

½ cup yellow mung dal

½ cup rice

6 dried red chilies

1 ½ cups water

1 ½ teaspoons salt or to taste

¼ teaspoon asafoetida

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

¼ cup oil for making dosas.

 Method;

Wash and soak mung dal with rice and red chilies in water for two hours or more.

Remove suran pieces from the packet into a microwavable glass bowl and  microwave for two minutes to thaw.  Rinse the pieces with water for freshness.

Put suran, mung dal, rice and chilies along with water they are soaked in, into the blender. Add salt, asafoetida and cumin seeds. Blend until it becomes  a smooth batter.

Heat a skillet on medium high.  Add half a teaspoon of oil and wipe skillet with a paper towel. Take a soup ladle full of batter and spread it thin in a circular motion on hot griddle. Spread one teaspoon of oil on top and around. When the bottom becomes light brown, flip dosa to the other side and roast it until brown spots appear. Flip it back and keep it for half a minute and remove from the griddle.

 Note: Add little more water if the batter is too thick to spread for thin dosa.

Repeat with rest of the batter. Tastes great with rice or as a snack.

Leftover batter can be saved in the refrigerator for two days.  Mix one tablespoon of rice flour and two tablespoons of water into leftover batter to make dosas crispy.

 Variation: Add a tablespoon of fresh or frozen coconut when blending for additional flavor.

Suran dosa (Kanda Attu) is a very old and traditional Andhra dish and used to be a main item along with rice and rasam with the evening meals in my village.