Kumbakonam Kadapa

Had been thinking of blogging on my kitchen stuff for a while now. Here are some of my routine dishes. I begin this topic with one of the famous South Indian dishes. "Kadapa".

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Moong dal
• 4 tspns grated coconut
• 2 potatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 tomato(optional)
• Salt
• Turmeric
• Mustard
• 5 green chillies
• Curry leaves
• 2 or 3 garlic flakes
• Oil
• Cinnamon,Clove,Fennel seeds(optional)

Steps to prepare:

 Cook moong dal in a pressure cooker.
Cook the potatoes separately and mash them a little(The potato pieces should be visible)
Grate coconut and grind it with garlic and green chillies.You may add cinnamon while grinding, if needed.

In a kadai, add oil and then add mustard. Once it splutters, add curry leaves, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds and saute them for a while.
Then add onions and fry them till they change color.Add salt and turmeric.
Add tomato to this if you wish to.(This may change the original taste)
Now add the moongdal, potatoes and allow it to boil keeping this on a medium flame.Add water if needed. This dish has to be watery.
Finally add the ground mixture and allow to boil for a couple of minutes.
Add few drops of lemon juice before serving.

This goes well with dosa or idli. I tried this with wheat dosa(Godhumba dosa) and it went well with that, too.