Kaju Fruit (Cashew Apple) Sweet Surnali (Dosa).

“Kaju Fruit (Cashew Apple) Sweet Surnali (Dosa) with Homemade Butter” … Just gave Surnali a lift as I have lots of Cashew Fruits at home … Though there was no Cashew fruit flavor in the final outcome of the dosa, it had turned out very soft and spongy just like our normal godi surnali … I have neither added curds nor cooking soda (which I detest) to the batter … Yummy Yumz …...

** Surnali is a famous spongy textured dosa from Konkani Saraswat Cusine. They are prepared both sweet and bland or adding some spices. This dosa that is said to pe perfectly done when the surface of the dosa has loads of holes in them. The batter has to be fermented well for this dosa and can be slightly tricky for newbies. But there can be always mishaps with a good cook too, once can never tell how it turns out. The sweet one’s are the most prepared one’s as children simply love them. I have always loved this dosa topped with homemade butter. The taste of a well made sweet surnali served hot topped with butter, that starts melting is really awesome. Merely mentioning it also makes one’s mouth water with desire. However, some do not like the sweet one’s and prepare them bland, while in some house both are prepared and relished. Well each one has their own choices, I guess. 

** In my home most of the time I prepare sweet one’s while hubby insist I prepare the spicy one. Frankly, I love both, so does he and I always do either of the two and not both together. There are still some cashew fruits remaining, if I can’t think off something more innovative I will give a try with the bland or spicy ones for sure and post the same. This is my very own twist of preparing surnali with addition of cashew fruit. Though I had hoped to get cashew flavor in my Dosa, I must admit it was missing. There was absolutely no cashew flavor, but it had turned out very spongy and full of holes on surface and simply delicious too. Surnali is prepared using curds and last a little bit of cooking soda is added to the batter. I have not added curds nor soda to this surnali batter. I guess cashew fruit having a good fermentation level in its contents did it’s own formula and gave the desired effect to the dosa. 

** Previously I had posted Sweet Surnali prepared with addition of Magge (South Indian Cucumber) and long back I had posted three flavored with dates etc. If you use the search option, you will find the same. But I will add on the surnali with magge link at the bottom of the recipe, do check that recipe for more pictures that will help you in understanding the procedure of removing the dosa better. I have many more variations cropping up in my mind which I wil be soon preparing and posting here. Do keep an eye on my Blog for many more such homely recipes that are both traditional with some twists and healthier options too. Do not shun these thinking that they are sweet and not good for health. Our ancestors enjoyed these and lived happily and we think twice before including them in our diet and still face health issues. Increase your activity from sedentary life but do not stop enjoying Grandma’s dishes, they actually come with unwritten guarantee. 

** Here is the Recipe for “Kaju Fruit (Cashew Apple) Sweet Surnali (Dosa) served with Homemade Butter” …. 

** Ingredients : 

Raw Rice (normal thick quality surti kolam will do) : 1 heaped cup. 

Methi / Fenugreek Seeds : 1 tsp 

Coconut : ¼ cup freshly grated. 

Poha / Beaten Rice : ½ cup (Thin variety) 

Kaju Fruit / Cashew Apple : 2 medium sized 

Jaggery / Goda / Gud : 1 cup grated. 

Haldi / Turmeric Powder : a large pinch. 

Salt to taste 

Ghee : 1 tsp 

Oil : 1 tsp 

** Wash and soak the rice in plenty of water for 4-5 hours. 

** Soaking of Methi : Soak methi seeds in ¼ cup of water in a small cup for an hour or so, just before you start grinding the batter. This is to be used while grinding the dosa batter. I do not add the methi along with the dal’s coz. When we drain off the water, the health and medicinal properties of methi seeds are also lost through it. You can use lukewarm water if you have only 10-15 mins time at hand only. It will give similar result. 

** Note : Almost everybody I know, even my Mom soaks the methi seeds along with the urad dal / rice while soaking the same. Therefore, it is not necessary to follow my method of soaking separately. You may do so along with other ingredients too. 

** Wash, wipe and chop the kaju / cashew apple to small pieces. Put it in a mixer grinder along with half cup of water and grind to a smooth pulp. Add in more water if necessary only, in all you should not exceed one cup of water. Remove and strain the juice through a fine sieve. You should have about one cup of the strained juice. 

** Put the sieved cashew juice in a small vessel and add in the poha and mix well. Let the poha get soaked properly, It hardly takes time. Prepare this just before you start grinding for the dosa. Now it is ready for grinding along with other ingredients. 

** Drain the rice completely, put it in a colander for 5-10 minutes, for the excess water to be drained well. Now add the rice into the mixer grinder along with coconut, soaked poha with excess cashew juice if any, methi along with the water in which it is soaked and grind all to a very smooth batter. Do not add in any water. 

** Now add in the grated jaggery to the ingredients in mixer (plus or minus the jaggery as per individual taste) along with the haldi powder and further grind all to smooth batter, do not add water, the jaggery as it melts on grinding will leave out water and the batter will thin down, that is why keeping the liquid level additions to batter must be kept at minimum. 

** Remove the batter in a large vessel, Add salt to taste, cover and leave it overnight for fermenting or at least for 8-10 hours. Remember to keep the batter in a large vessel as sometimes it rises and flows over though here the chances are lesser as we have not added in soda. But do see to it that the vessel in 4 times more in volume than the amount of the batter. 

** Before you start preparing to take the dosa, mix the ghee and oil in a small cup well. If is thick slightly thin it out and keep ready. This is for removing of dosa. I use both oil and ghee in equal ratio for surnali and only ghee sometimes gives burnt dosa on bottom side when the jaggery melts on the same. Now mix the batter well, sometimes the rice settles at the bottom and the batter is thinner on top. So mixing well is necessary. 

** Heat a dosa tava / pan, to smoking hot level, then lower the heat, spread a tsp of oil lightly greasing the pan, immediately pour a large ladle full of batter (about ½ cup) on the center of the tava / pan. Do not attempt to spread the dosa. The batter spreads on its own into a nice round circle. Add a few drops of oil all round the outer edges of the dosa, cover with a dome lid and cook on low heat till the top side is cooked and translucent. You can just touch it with the tip of your fingers to check and see if the batter is still wet. 

** Note : A well fermented battered surnali will give you a lot of holes on the top surface of the dosa. This dosa is cooked on one side only and not filled over. The top portion of the dosa gets cooked on the steam built within the pan and the dome lid, that is why it is necessary to add on the lid for this particular dosa as it is thick textured and we want it to have a soft spongy texture. If you leave it open you will not get spongy texture, but flat dosa styled one which is definitely NO-NO to this particular dosa. 

** Remember also not to raise the heat to high as the batter contains jaggery, in which case the dosa may get burnt at the bottom and on the edges too. When done, gently loosen through the side edges and lift the dosa and put it gently on a plate. Repeat the process for the remaining batter. Remember to raise the heat high and let the tava be hot each time you remove new dosa, lower heat while adding in the batter in tava and then cook on slow heat covered. You can keep the remaining batter in the fridge and remove dosa the next day too. This dosa is enjoyed immensely by all children.

** “Kaju Fruit (Cashew Apple) Sweet Surnali (Dosa)” is done and ready to be served. This sweet delicious dosa tastes best when served with Homemade Butter, if you do not have butter at home you can use even store bought one’s but they are always salty. Some enjoy dosa drizzled with honey, I do not, but it is frankly each persons choice. This dosa does not need chutney if prepared sweet as the taste then gets distorted. So keep it simple with butter or serve it with honey or plain as it is, tastes equally good. 

** Try this out and enjoy with your family and friends. But always remember to serve them hot as they taste yummy when served hot with that melting butter on its surface. But you can take this in your lunch box too, by just adding a little bit of butter in between the surnalies and enjoy them with your colleagues too. Do not hesitate to try this out thinking it is sweet, if you have access to cashew fruits, try this out, it ferments well without adding on its own flavor while keeping the dosa free from curds or cooking soda. 

** Note: I am including the link below for sweet surnali prepared with the addition of magge ie South Indian Cucumber, you can prepare that one too if magge is available in your vicinity. There are more pictures included in that recipe, particularly of the dosa batter texture and removing of the dosa procedure. It will give you a fair knowledge of the same if your are a novice to surnali. Do check on the link given below, by clicking on the same …. 

http://gayathrifoodbytes.blogspot.in/2015/09/sweet-surnali-with-south-indian-cucumber.html

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