Idli - From my kitchen to yours....

Most often eaten at breakfast or as a snack in South India, idlis are usually served in pairs with Sambhar and Chutney. A favourite of all Indian kids and grown ups alike, I couldn't help myself from posting this to share with all...
Steamed Rice cakes or popularly called as Idlis in India are super healty and deliiiicious.........



Ingredients:

1. 1 cup skinless Urad dal soaked in water for 2 hours and then finely grind
2. Half teaspoon methi seeds
3. 1 cup Idli rawa
4. 3 cups of Rice flour
5. Tangy Yogurt for fermentation / 1 teaspoon of Yeast

Soak the urad dal in water for 2-3 hours and then finely grind it with the methi seeds. Mix the Idli rawa and rice flour and stir it well. Add some more water to get the consistency such that when you pour it from a spatula there is a little elasticity to it. It should be watery. Add the yogurt/yeast and stir it well.

Cover it with a lid and set it aside to raise up for about 8-9 hrs at a warm spot in your kitchen. I generally put the light on of my grill oven and put it there for the night.

Method :


Be sure that you have an idli maker which looks like the one on the side! you can get it in any Indian grocery store here in Chicago. In India - go to any utensil shop and you can get it...
Lightly oil the base of the idli stand so that it is easy for the idlies to come out when cooked.

Alternate is to use the Idli Microwave maker.

Pour the batter in the idli stand indentations as shown in the picture. Stack the plates one on top of other, make sure that you start with the last stand and stack on top. Also, be careful not to fill the idli batter till the brim - on steaming the idli's expand.






Place it in a pressure cooker or Idli maker. Pour 2 cups of water in the idli maker/pressure cooker so that the steam from the water will help cook the idlis. If using the pressure cooker remove the whistle.

Once the pressure build up, let it cook for 15 min. Then open the idli maker/pressure cooker and let the idli cool for 5 min or so. With a spoon washed with cold water carefully scoop the idlis out.
If using Microwave Idli maker then set it on high power for 10-12min.

Enjoy with the Sambhar and Chutney....!!!

 - Enjoy these and stay warm in snow jammed Chicago weather!!
    Pallavi

Masala Dosa ... one of my personal favourites...

Masala dosa is my all time personal favourite. So, how could I not share this amazing and simple recipe with you all...

Please visit my blog for Dosa to get details on how to make a plain dosa. All we need additionally is now the masala and a few additional steps to make it a masala dosa.

Tadka:

1. Oil - 3-4 tablespoon
2. 7-8 Currey leaves 
3. 1 green chilly slit along length
4. 1 teapoon of black mustard
5. Chopped Ginger - 1 teaspoon
6. Chopped Garlic - 1 teaspoon

 Main Ingredients :

1. 4 medium sized Potato - boiled and peeled and semi-mashed
2. 2 medium sized Onions - chopped length wise
3. 2 medium sized tomatoes
4. A handful of crushed roasted peanuts
5. A handful of green peas

 The masala spices:

1. Turmeric powder - 1 teasoon
2. Coriander powder - 3 teaspoons
3. Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon
4. Red chilly powder - 1 teaspoon

Get the main ingredients all ready for what will follow!

In a skillet with the oil, crackle the black mustard in oil and the curry leaves, put the slit green chilly.Then put the ginger, garlic and let it sizzle for a minute.

Then put the onions and fry till golden brown over medium heat. Add the green peas and mix the chopped tomato and keep stirring for another 5 min. Then come the masala time...mix the cumin, red chilly and coriander powder and stir fry rill another 3-4 min.
 

 Now the masala is ready to be mixed to the main ingredient - poatoes... so carefully mix the potatoes which are semi-mashed ( for the texture!!) and stir it for about 5 min.  Add the roasted peanuts and the masala to be put on the dosa is ready...






When the dosa batter is poured on the Tawa and made into a circular shape by spreading it evenly - when the batter starts to cook a little






Add a scoop of the masala and spread it along one side of the dosa as shown above. Serve it with Sambhar or Tangy Chutney....







 Have Fun... enjoy Super Bowl........

 Pallavi

Sambhar...... just the way I like it

Sambar or sambhar or Sambaaru is a dish common in southern part of India, It essentially is a vegetable stew or chowder based on a broth made with Tamarind and Tuhar Dal.( sometimes also called as Toor dal)

Base of Sambhar

1.  1/2 cup Tuhar ( Toor ) dal- soaked in warm water for 20 min

Dry Ingredients :

1. 2 Teaspoon Turmeric powder 
2. 2 Teaspoons Tamarind soaked in warm water for 10 min
3. 2 Teaspoons salt (to taste)
4. 1 Tablespoon ginger garlic paste (  conversion 1 Teaspoon = 1/3 Tablespoon)
5. 3 Teaspoons Sambhar Powder
6. 2 Bay leaves

For the Desi Tadka

1. 8-10 Curry leaves 
2. 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder 
3. 2 tablespoons of Sunflower Oil 
4. 1 1/2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
5. 2-3 whole dried red chillies
6. 3 Teaspoons Red chilly powder
7. 2-3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

Veggie delights: ( This is what makes it awesome and healthy) 

1. 3 medium onions finely chopped
2. 2 medium size tomatoes
3. 1 stem of drumstick cut
4. 1/3 cup cut eggplant / brinjol
5. 1/3 cup cut bottleguard
6. 1/3 cup shredded Carrots
7. 1/3 cup cut okra

Important reminder : we will certainly need fresh Coriander leaves finely chopped to garnish!


 

Fry the onions in a pressure cooker heated with the oil in it. when they turn golden brown add the ginger garlic paste. Add all the veggies and fry for about 5 min on high flame, keep stirring it constantly to avoid charring at the bottom of the pan. Add dry ingredients and mix it well.

Add drained Tuhar dal and and warm water to cover the mix properly. Cook for 15 min, till 2-3 whistles. Let the pressure come down on its own. Once the pressure is released, open the cooker and pour it to the serving vessel.

 

Prepare the Tadka and pour it on the sambhar. Do you hear a sizzle....this is what makes it so aromatic and heavenly. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.







Server it to your near and dear ones with Dosa, Idli or Medu Wada.

See you soon... all set for Tiranga special day tomorrow to celebrate Indian republic day!

-Take care and Stay warm Chicago
  Pallavi

Tangy Chutney (Dip) to go with Dosa / Idli

Finally here comes the recipe for my tangy chutney with a twist, it is a little non traditional... but I'm sure a little variation is what you can experiment with!

Ingredients: 1/2 cup of split Chana Dal soaked in water for 15 min and then slightly roasted 1/2 Cup of skinless Roasted Peanuts 1/2 Cup of Grated fresh Coconut Tamarind Paste - 1/2 teaspoon Handful of finely chopped coriander leaves (Optional)

Seasoning: Sugar - 2 teaspoons 1 small Lemon / 4 teaspoons of Lemon Juice Salt - 2-3 teaspoons to taste 1 teaspoon Pepper Flakes

For the Indian Tadka: Black Mustard seeds - 3 teaspoons Indian Curry leaves One pinch of Hing 1 teaspoon of Kasmiri Mirch powder (any other red chilli powder will also do) 2 Dry Red chilly Finely chopped Garlic (Optional)

Note :
Cup of grated fresh coconut can be substituted with store bought non-sweet coconut flakes.Handful of finely chopped coriander leaves can be mixed in the mixer to give it a green earthy flavour. Sometimes I also put a spoon of tangy yogurt in the mix to make it more smooth.

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl and transfer to a mixer/blender. Pour 2 cups of water (Adjust according to the consistency of the Chutney you want).
Mix for 10-15 minutes till it is finely blended and then carefully take it out in a serving bowl.

In a small Tadka Kadai put 3-4 tea-spoon of Sunflower Oil. When the Oil is hot , put all the tadka ingredents and pull the kadai off heat. Pour this over the Chutney and mix it well.

Pour the seasoning on the mixed chutney and mix it well. Taste a small amount to get a flavour of the chutney for seasoning. Ajust according to your flavour.

This tastes awesome with my favourites Idli / Dosa . See you all with my next recipe - Sambhar !

Enjoy this and keep smiling :-)

-Pallavi

South Indian Savouries....... DOSA.... Yummy in the tummy.. :-)

I belong to Bokaro Steel City ( which now is in the state Jharkhad) so you must be wondering ... Pallavi & South Indian dishes... how's that!!!  Well here's the answer for those who need more information - I did my B.E. in Bangalore and apart from a lot of other things i loved which are worth mentioning.... loved the yummy South Indian specialities served there.

Most of us have very fond memories of our college & hostel days.. well mine is a little more *special*.... During our initial college days I met my husband Bhavesh and being great foodies that we are, we went around a lot of local eat outs to try out south Indian delicacies...

Once we moved to Mumbai our love for the south Indian dishes remained and I simply cannot thank God enough that Chicago is flodded with Indian restaurants....it's indeed a home away from home.

A special mention to my South Indian friends Kavitha, Remya, Roopa and Padma whose expert advises resulted in an awesome recipe which I can share with you all.

DOSA : To prepare Batter

1. 1 cup skinless split urad daal (skinless black gram)
2. Salt to taste
3. 1/2 teaspoon Methi Seeds ( Fenugreek)
4. 3 Cups of Rice flour / Soaked Sona Masoori Rice
5. Pinch of Yeast  ( Optional )

Soak the urad dal in warm water for 2 hours and then blend finely. Pour the mix in a big bowl and mix the remaining ingredents. Mix enough water in the bowl to cover them about 2" deep and soak overnight till it raises up. My advise : add a pinch of Yeast to make the fermentation faster if you have less time.

Mix  the batter thoroughly. Heat a non stick pan with a little sunflower oil , with a big serving spoon scoop and pour the batter on the pan. Slowly spread the batter in a circular motion and try to even the dosa on tha pan. if you are trying for the first time, the first ones migh not come out  as expected.. don't panik and get disheartened! Try some more times and Yippie... you will get it right... well.. it did for me!!


Drizzle a little oil on top of the batter and with a flat spatulla  try to remove it from the pan, it should come out pretty easily. Flip it around for getting the other side cooked... Well the smell of the dosa will be filling the kitchen by now.... How cool is that!


After 2 minutes take the dosa out carefully and put it on a serving plate... Serve it with the Tangy Chutney and Sambhar.

If you wish to make a masala dosa, that is super simple too...

Please visit my blogs for Masala Dosa, Tangy Chutney and Sambhar ... keep watching this space and enjoy the delicious South Indian savouries...... Hail India!!!

see ya with my next recipe...
Love Life....
Pallavi..