Elaborate breakfasts are only on weekends. But then again, at times we miss breakfast completely on weekends and go straight to lunch. But then there are Saturdays. Then there those 'odd' Saturdays when I get to stay home and S gets to go to work. (That will change in 2008, thankfully!)
When I remember during the week, I prepare dosa or pesarattu batter so that I don't have to think too much about what to make for breakfast. I don't ferment my dosa batter at all (much to the shock and disgust of many Tamil food connoisseurs) and my favourite dosas are the ones I make for myself just as soon as I've ground the batter. They're like my little treat for all the effort I've just put in.
When I was newly married, I called my MIL to ask for the recipe for Pesarattu, a type of dosa made with green moong beans. She gave me a recipe that was so complicated that I decided this was not for me. I like Pesarattu, but it didn't seem worth all that effort. And she told me that I should make upma along with it and serve the two together. I told her that I could, at best, make any one item for breakfast. But one Friday, I'd made Pesarattu, and had left over batter. So, on Saturday, I made upma and together whipped up a proper Andhra style breakfast: M.L.A. Pesarattu.
I devised my own sweet way of making Pesarattu. When it is my way, it has to be the simple way. Here goes:
1 cup Whole Green Gram, soaked overnight
3 Green Chillies
2" piece Ginger
Salt to taste
Wash the green gram and grind to a paste along with the chillies and ginger. Use enough water to get a dosa batter consistency. Add the salt.
For the Upma:
1 cup Rava (Sooji/Cream of Wheat)
2 Onions, sliced
1 tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1/2 tsp Urad Dal
1/2 tsp Chana Dal
1 Red Chilli
1 Green Chilli
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
7-8 Curry Leaves
1 tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)
Coriander leaves for garnish
1/2 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the urad and chana dals. When the urad dal starts to brown, add the mustard, cumin and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the onions, red and green chillies, curry leaves and ginger paste. Add the rava and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups of boiling water to this. Add the salt and sugar and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. The upma is done when the rava sets and is not sticky.
To proceed:
Heat a tawa and smear a little oil on it. Simmer the flame and pour a ladleful of the batter in the centre of the tawa. Quickly spread the batter while forming concentric circles (spiral actually!).
Add a little oil on the sides and centre. Usually not more than 1 small spoonful per dosa. When crisp, carefully turn the dosa over and allow the other side to cook a little. Place some upma along the diameter of the dosa and fold the sides over.
Serve this with some chutney or pickle. It is quite filling and you can go on for a few hours without a complaint from your tummy.
Wishing all of you a very happy holiday season.
16 comments:
mmm..love MLA pesarattu...we used to get this from a small dingy joint near our workplace..absolutely mouthwatering :)...btw. i make pesarattu the same way..i just add a lil jeera to the batter while grinding :)
Happy Holidays to you both. I will be off again until 1st too.
Never made or eaten Pesarattu before and definitely not with Uppittu. It's one of those strange combo like serving dosa stuffed with chitranna!:D
Looks delicious though, I will try one day.
I too make pesrat the same way..but not with upma. Your idea sounds fabulous
Hmm good old Pesarattu, yummy as always! That's one good thing about pesarattu, its instant, no fermenting!! A small tip, try making it thinner, it tastes a lot better and gets crispier too :)
we get this mla pesarattu in a restaurant called chutneys in hyderabad. though overpriced (rs 75!!) they are yummy. urs looks even better. shud try it some time.
Someone is reviving foodie memories :). This combo is truly great! I like your lovely, simple way of making pesarattu. Hey, any idea why is this combo called MLA?
I read the whole thing trying to figure out where the joke about MLA is... :) SO it is not a joke? It is actually called MLA Pesarattu? Why? :)
I have heard abt this pesarettu. I forgot why its called MLA though. Do us a favour, ask your MIL, please?
That's like making 2 breakfasts at one time! I can't imagine upma filled dosas but must try it sometime. Love the simplified pesarattu recipe. Am bookmarking it :)
I make pessarattu same style as yours, but add little rice flour for some crispyness! Upma & pessaratu is a combo served in Andhra, got its own taste. I serve it with coconut chutney & ginger pickle.. goes well!
The two-in-one breakfst looks great!
I'll echo the question asked in previous comments: what does the MLA stand for?
Nice.. i love pesarattu.. but wat is this MLA di???;)
my mom's recipe is a wee bit different.. it has green gram dal, chillies, and coriander... no ginger...:) its yummmy....
have a wonderful sunday guys...:)
hugss
both look great. I didn't know this was a traditional combo! I think I should brave the drive to Gurgaon on that odd Sat - I can see it will be well worth it! My sister has been complaining too...
Lovely recipe sounds a great breakfast.
very attrative plate - i want that with a dollop of butter. me cheats while making pesarattu, i make it with split moong dal and add a lot of coriander for the green colour - hehe - :D . btw what's the story behind MLA?
I did some googling and got to know that this was a quick filling breakfast that MLAs could have before rushing to the assembly at 11 a.m.
As HR Head for my company, I ask: When you have to be at "work" at 11 a.m., exactly where is the rush?????
Thanks all of you for the comments. I am able to view my blog now. I hope it stays that way.
Post a Comment