Pound Cake

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 large eggs

1/4 cup milk, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups cake flour

Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter a 10-by-5-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with a strip of parchment paper that extends 2 inches past the short ends of the pan.

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar, vanilla and salt at medium speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 2 at a time, beating between additions. Beat in the milk. Sift the flour over the batter and whisk it in until smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.

Bake the cake for 1 1/2 hours, until it is cracked down the center, golden on top, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then unmold the cake and let cool completely.

Dibba Roti

For making batter

½ cup urad dal – 125 grams (husked & split black gram)

1 cup water – for soaking urad dal

½ cup water – for grinding urad dal or add as required

¾ cup rice rava or idli rava – 155 grams

1.5 cups water – for soaking rice rava

1 green chilli or ½ teaspoon, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon salt or add as required

For cooking

4 to 6 tablespoons peanut oil or add as required – can also use any neutral flavored oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Soaking lentils and rice rava

• Rinse urad dal a couple of times in water. 

• Drain all the water and then soak urad dal in a bowl with 1 cup water for 3 to 4 hours. 

• Take rice rava or idli rava in a large bowl. We will first rinse the rava. 

• Add water till it floats a few centimetres on top of the rava layer. Gently mix the rava with water.

  Let this mixture rest for some seconds. Gently discard the water from the top. Do this method once or twice. 

• Then add 1.5 cups water for soaking rice rava for 3 to 4 hours.

• Later drain all the water from urad dal and add in a grinder or a high speed blender.

• Add chopped ginger and chillies.

Making batter

• Add ½ cup water in parts and grind to a smooth and fluffy batter. Depending on the quality of urad dal, you can add less or more water to grind. 

• Transfer the entire urad dal batter in a large bowl or pan. Keep aside. 

• Take some portion of the rice rava mixture in your palms. Press tightly and squeeze all the water from the idli rava.

  Let the water get squeezed in the same bowl. Do make sure that you squeeze the rice rava or idli rava very well.

• Add this squeezed portion of idli rava in the urad dal batter. Repeat the above step and this way add the entire squeezed idli rava to the urad dal batter.

• Add cumin seeds and salt or add as required. 

• Mix very well.

• The batter consistency is like that of idli batter. In case the batter looks thin, then add some more rice rava which has been soaked in water and later squeezed of all the water. 

Making dibba rotti

• Take a heavy and thick bottomed kadai or frying pan. Add 2 tablespoons peanut oil in the kadai.

• Then spread the oil on the sides of kadai by tilting the kadai or with a spoon. Let the oil become hot, but not sizzling hot.

• Once the oil becomes hot, reduce the heat to its lowest. Add 3 large ladles of the dibba rotti batter.

• Gently spread and even out the batter from the top with the back of a spoon.

• Cover the layer of dibba rotti. Cook on a low heat.

• Cook till the base of the dibba rotti is crisp and golden. You can make this out by checking the edges from top. The edges will have a golden color. 

• Then turn over the half-cooked dibba rotti gently with a spatula. In case the base has not become golden & crispy, then continue to cover and cook till it becomes golden.

• Now cook the second side. Drizzle 1 to 2 teaspoons peanut oil on the sides. While cooking the second side, do not cover and cook.

• Cook till the second side is cooked properly and you see some golden spots. To check you can insert a toothpick or a fork or knife and they should not have any sticky or uncooked batter on them. 

• Similar way make dibba rotti from the remaining batter. Every time you make dibba rotti, add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil.

  If you see oil in the kadai or pan, then add 1 to 1.5 tablespoons oil. 

• Remove from the pan. Place on a chopping board. Slice in wedges or squares and serve with onion chutney or ginger chutney or coconut chutney. 

NOTES

• You can add curry leaves, crushed black pepper, asafoetida, onions and coriander leaves to the batter. Traditionally made with cumin seeds only.

• Traditionally batter is not fermented. Use directly or keep for 2 to 3 hours. Do not ferment.

• If possible use peanut oil for good taste. But you can opt to use any other neutral flavored oil if you do not have peanut oil.

• Batter consistency is thick like idli batter.

• If you do not have rice rava, then soak ¾ cup rice in water for 3 to 4 hours. Drain all water. Spread rice on a plate or tray for about an hour. Then grind to a semi-fine texture of that of rice rava or idli rava.

• Do use a heavy iron kadai or a heavy pan with a solid base or else the dibba rotti can get burnt. 

• The recipe can be scaled to make for less or more portions.

Godhumai Dosai

Wheat Flour - 2 cup

Rice Flour - 2 tbsp.

Salt

Onion - 1, minced

Ginger - 1 tsp, grated

Green Chilli - 2, minced

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves

Mix Wheat Flour along with Rice Flour, required Salt and Water to make a thin Batter.

Add minced Onion, Ginger, Green Chilli, Cumin seeds and Curry leaves to the Batter.

Heat a tawa and grease with Oil. Blend the batter again and pour a big ladle of Batter in the hot tawa and spread it into a thin circle in circular motion. Drizzle a few drops of Oil over the Dosa. When the edges begin to brown flip the Dosa and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

Serve warm with Chutney / Sambhar.