Recipe: Green Mung Dosas

We’ve reached the early days of Spring here in the southern hemisphere and I can already feel the season starting to shift. All of nature slowly begins to come out of hibernation and release the cold, heavy and stagnant qualities of winter. We naturally start to gravitate towards more light, fresh and vibrant foods to create balance.

These Green Mung Dosas are a wonderful spring dish and were inspired by the incredible Jody Vassallo in her book The Yogic Kitchen. This simple, easy recipe is a take on the classic South Indian Dosa, except far quicker without the fermentation time. Enjoy for a delicious and easy spring lunch!

Ingredients:

1 cup split mung dahl

1 tablespoon of fresh ginger

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon of asafoetida (hing)

A pinch of salt

Handful of fresh leafy greens or herbs (I like spinach, kale or coriander)

2 tablespoons of brown rice flour (or any flour you have)

Ghee or coconut oil (for cooking)

Method:

Soak your mung dahl overnight or at least for a few hours to support digestion and quicken cooking time. Once ready to prepare, strain and rinse well. Place the mung in a blender with the fresh ginger, greens and add about 1-2 cups of water or enough to form a thick paste.

Once blended transfer to a bowl and stir in the flour, salt and spices to make a thin pouring batter. Heat a teaspoon of ghee on a dosa tawa or fry pan and using a ladle, add about 1/4 cup of batter to the pan. Quickly, use the back of the ladle or a big spoon to swirl around the batter to make a pancake like shape. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the dosa is easy to flip over. Turn and cook on the other side until the dosa is dry and crispy. Repeat with remaining batter to make about 4-6 dosas.

Serve as a main meal with roasted seasonal vegetables, chutney and fresh herbs as pictured here. You can also have these as a complimentary side dish to a larger meal. Get creative and enjoy!

Recipe: Tahini, Rose & Cardamom Cookies

I was introduced to Tahini cookies earlier this year and instantly fell in love with this sweet-savoury treat. I tried and tested different flavour combinations but, Rose & Cardamom has to be my favourite. In Ayurveda it is a combination particularly balancing for pitta and is also well loved in Middle Eastern cuisine.

This balanced, sweet treat is best enjoyed with a warm cup of Chai. They are easy to make, a perfect blend of flavour & consistency and there is something about a touch of Rose that makes the ritual feel luxurious.

Ingredients:

2 cups almond meal

2/3 cup of hulled tahini

1/2 cup of maple syrup

2 teaspoons of Cardamom

1 tablespoon of rose water

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

optional: sesame seeds and pink rose petals to garnish

Method:

First, preheat the oven to 170 degrees on a regular baking setting. You will need one mixing bowl and a medium saucepan. In the saucepan combine the tahini, maple and vanilla essence. Heat and stir till it becomes like a runny sauce (5-10mins) then turn off the heat and leave to cook (5-10mins).

In a large bowl combine almond meal, cardamon and a splash of rose water. Then once tahini mixture has cooled slowly pour in and mix together with the almond meal mix until a dough is created (note: it’ll be quite sticky)

Then line a flat making tray with baking paper. Take 1-2 tablespoons worth of dough and roll into a ball then, flatten into a cookie. Recipe makes about 8-12 depending on size. Bake for only 10 minutes ~ very important as they bake fast! Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes and ready to serve!

Notes:

• I often get tempted to skip the step that heats the Tahini sauce when you are short on time ~ whilst the recipe can still work out, heating the mixture is a game changer and what makes this recipe perfect!

• Make sure to only bake for 10 minutes - these cooking bake very fast and even if they still seem a little bit soft at that time, trust me - they are ready and will overcook very fast if cooked even a few minutes longer. Best to take out of the often to cool directly after cooking.

• A tablespoon of Rose water will be more than enough ~ a little goes a long way!