This recipe is a tribute to my late great grandma. She was not only a food enthusiast, but also a healthy eater. GG revamped her pantry and her recipes to cater to seasonal and health needs. She was the one who taught and encouraged a healthy lifestyle in our family. GG was the epitome of "best" health and died a natural death at age of 92 when I was 9.
GG is the source of my inner strength. She was widowed in her early twenties during the World War1 era and raised her son as a single mom without any support from in-laws or parents. She rented a 500 sq ft space inside a newspaper printing press in Bangalore and not only cooked in that tiny space but made innovative delicacies, using a single burner kerosene stove. Inspite of my 10 hour work shift Monday-Friday, I am inspired to cook 2, sometimes 3 meals a day, thanks to GG.
Navratri was when pumpkins and winter melons were available in abundance in Bangalore when I was growing up. And my GG, who wasted no food, used most of it. She meticulously sun-dried the seeds (which lasted for 3-4 months) and we ate them as a snack. And the hard to eat portions underneath the pumpkin's skin was used to make dosas. These were gluten free and considered naturally probiotic by GG.
She used simple ingredients:
2 cups brown basmati rice
2 tbsp methi seeds
1/2 cup grated coconut (fresh or dried)
2 tbsp yogurt (optional) 1/2 cup pumpkin/winter melon
Soak the rice with methi seeds for a couple of hours.
Grind the rice, methi seeds and coconut into a thick batter with the consistency of pancake batter. (A blender or a dosa/idli grinder can be used).
You can add yogurt when grinding. The recipe can be easily made vegan by omitting the yogurt.
Finally grind pumpkins in the batter. (Don’t worry if your batter is coarse.)
Ferment your batter overnight.
Add salt to it before serving. Spread batter on the skillet like you do for a pancake.
This dosa pairs well with ginger coconut chutney.
Here's the recipe for the chutney:
1 cup grated fresh or dried coconut,
3-4 green chilies
1/2 lemon sized tamarind ball deseeded
2 inches ginger root (I suggest ginger from Chinese Stores)
4-5 peanuts or 1 tsp flax seeds
Method
In a half spoon oil in a kadai, roast the peanuts/flax with green chilies.
In a blender, grind coconut with tamarind and ginger.
When smooth, add the roasted green chilies and peanuts/flax.
Grind again.
Add salt and season with toasted mustard and curry leaves.
My twist on GG’s recipe:
I substituted pumpkins with watermelon cubes and then graduated to using strawberries. And last week, I decided to mix the summer bounty (prunes, grapes, and berries) together instead of single fruit. They were over ripe. I was proud of myself for not having to throw away the quality produce, but also for converting them to a nourishing meal.
Ciao till my next recipe.
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