Recipe of the month: Sabbakki Dosa (Sabudana Dosa)

So we are back in an 'almost-lockdown' state due to the rising Covid-19 cases in Singapore and the emergence of nasty variants of the virus. I had been dreading this and knew it might come sooner than later. It's back to mostly working from home for the next 3 weeks and home-based learning just until the end of this month (mercifully). Having never had to do it before, I'm completely new and clueless to the whole online schooling thing so wish me luck! If you ask me, the mid-term school holidays cannot begin sooner 😅

I realized that I haven't posted an Indian savoury recipe in more than a year. Uncharacteristically, I had been focusing more on Indian sweets in the past several recipe posts so here I am trying to tip the scale a little bit 😊 

Previously, I hardly used sabudana/sabbakki/sago pearls in my cooking. If you ask me why, I have no logical explanation for it. There are only two recipes on my blog that features sabudana which are Sabudana Vada that I happened to make for Navratri one time and Mallige Idli which I make much more often. For the longest time, it had become a habit to not use the ingredient so I seldom had it in my pantry. So you can conclude that when it came to me and sabudana, it was an 'out of sight, out of mind' kinda deal.

But that changed not too long ago. I love experimenting with different urad dal and rice based dosa batter recipes over the weekend. Earlier this year, one of the recipes I wanted to try listed sabudana as an ingredient. I bought a large packet out of which I used only a small amount for the dosa. I had no plans for the rest of it but it so happened that while talking to my mum over the phone that same week, she mentioned that they were having Sabbakki Rotti for breakfast (where I'm from, we refer to it as Sabbakki). I quickly noted down the recipe and made it the following weekend. Much to my surprise, it was a big hit with my children. Then a few weeks later I used it to make a kheer (pudding) for the Hindu New Year celebration festival of Ugadi. More recently, I discovered a recipe for Sabbakki Dosa typed away in a draft post that had been long forgotten and that inspired me to make it. That took care of whatever sabudana was remaining. I do fully intend to make Sabudana Khichdi sometime in the near future and once I do that, I will be armed with five sabudana recipes in my culinary repertoire 😊 It helps that my family has liked whatever I've made so with the ingredient until now so it does look like sabudana may have just managed to secure a spot in my pantry. 

This is a pretty easy dosa to make and requires only a few ingredients that are staples in any Indian kitchen. The sabbakki needs soaking for a minimum of 4 hours (or preferably overnight) but after that the steps to getting the dosa on your plate are super quick. There is no grinding or fermentation involved so aside from the soaking time, you can consider this an 'instant dosa'. It is soft, mildly crispy and tastes good with a wide range of accompaniments. This dosa does not contain yoghurt so it is suitable for vegans and people who have an allergy or aversion to yoghurt. 

Try the recipe and let me know if you liked it. Eat well, stay positive (the good kind) and stay safe 🏡

A Few Of My Favourite Things (3)

The other day I was going through some of my old blog posts (I have plenty of *cringe* moments when I do this) and I realized that I have completely abandoned a segment of the blog that I had enthusiastically started a few years ago.

The phrase ‘A Few Of My Favourite Things’ is pretty self-explanatory isn't it? But since I haven't revisited this segment in a while, allow me to elaborate a bit more. The idea behind the segment stemmed from the intention of sharing specific foods/dishes/beverages in Singapore that I love. It casts a much wider net in the Singapore’s food scene to include local snacks, confectionery, street foods, beverages, desserts and festive local specialties. The benefit of this segment is the inclusion of all the “must-try” edibles in my opinion that may not feature in independent restaurant reviews. The items that I list can either be something that I’ve consumed multiple times or something I’ve tried only once. Anything that leaves a big enough impression on me will be included because it is my blog and my rules 😆

Somehow in the midst of focusing on recipes, book reviews, restaurant reviews, outdoor activity recommendations and product/service collaboration requests, the existence of this segment completely slipped my mind. Anyway, better late than never so I am kick-starting it again. 

If you have read this segment before then you will know that it features 5 of my favourite things in no particular order of preference. And if you didn’t know then you do now.

Without further ado, here goes, 

Baker's Corner: Pesto, Mushroom and Tomato Stuffed Buns

Raise your hand if you had a lot of hope for 2021 and thought the worst was behind us? 🙋

I notice that I turn to cooking or baking when my mind is troubled. I did a lot of it during the 3 months of lockdown last year. These days, India is constantly on my mind. With the second wave of the pandemic ravaging my beloved home country, it is often difficult to stay positive and upbeat. We can only watch with despair and helplessness from afar. I know this dreadful time will pass and things will eventually get better but anxiety for the health and well-being of my family and friends simmers just below a normal public façade. On the other hand, it is heartening to read the genuine messages of concern from my local friends enquiring if all is well at home. 

The recent spike in community cases in Singapore has also been some cause for worry. We have been riding out the pandemic with relative ease since July last year and I don't think many of us have been worried about a second wave. Should we be now? I don't know. Only time will tell (please god no). 

Anyway, back to the topic that gives me comfort - FOOD. You know, for as much cooking as I do and the amount of passion I have for it, I can't really call myself a creative or inventive cook. I tend to follow recipes with tweaks and substitutions here and there but it is quite a rare event when I come up with a recipe all by myself. 

I happened to have extra basil, some mini portobello mushrooms (that I had no plan for) and a whole lot of cherry tomatoes at home. One good habit I have gradually developed over the past several years is not to waste food/ produce. I did not want to go the pasta or pizza route since we had already made those in the past two days. I did not have any puff pastry at home and I was in no mood to go shopping (and end up with a bunch of other things I don't need). So I just decided to make a variation of stuffed buns with the ingredients I had with me. 

I have made a few different kinds of stuffed buns over the years. You can check out recipes for Potato Bun, Pizza Bun and Paneer Masala Bun. I have had a lot of positive feedback from many readers who have tried these buns. For my latest variation, I first made a yeast-based dough, a filling of onions, garlic, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes and lastly whipped up a basil pesto. Then I put everything together, threw it in the oven and voila! - a unique recipe sprang to life 😄

These buns turned out pretty good. I served them for breakfast along with eggs sunny side up, extra dollops of basil pesto and a fruit bowl. My kids polished them off (always a good sign). This recipe is highly customizable so feel free to make tweaks or substitutions based on the ingredients you have on hand. 

Stay strong India! And for the rest of the world, mask up and stay safe.