Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi all,
When I started my blog, I thought of starting with basic and simple foods. But some how I went on postponing it.
Thanks to Mahimaa for organizing a event of basic recipes that made me to post idly, sambhar and chutney.
They say that South Indians never leave their home without having at least one idly for breakfast! But, now a days it has reached all over the world. And most of the people all around the world loves this food because of many reasons. Easy to make with readily available atta in the shops and ready to make products and if you have time you can prepare the batter at home easily. Because of its health benefits as it is steamed food, very good for the stomach. Especially when one is on travelling idly is the best food to eat, taking care not to eat the sambhar or chutney! It is Doctor's delight, best diet food to advise for patients.
These idly s are kid's favorite. You can add vegetables into it to make it healthier. My younger daughter calls it "adalilil"
I think (failed) introduction to the food is sufficient as it is the most popular breakfast.
Here the measurement is to prepare for 3 to 4 people.
First recipe is for Idly,
Normally the Idly s are prepared with Raw rice, Urad dal and Methi seeds or prepared with Urad dal and Idly rawa.
You will get 14 varieties of idly s in EC's Simple Indian Food- An Easy Cooking Blog.
Here I am giving the recipe for Idly is prepared with Urad dal and Idly rawa. Idly rawa is available in shops. Its easy to make as there is no need to soak the rice and grind it with Urad dal.
Urad dal - 1 cup
Idly rawa - 2 1/2 cup
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Soak the urad dal and methi seeds in water for 4 to 6 hours. The water should be more than double of dal.
(After some time, urad dal increase in size and the water will be less.)
Wash the idly rawa with good water and put it in a vessel in which you want to keep the batter to ferment.
Grind it into fine paste. Mix it properly with rawa and salt. Keep it to ferment in a warm place for at least 8 hours. During cold weather, the batter takes more time to ferment. Check the batter after 8 hours. If it is not doubled in size, keep it for some more time. (usually I do not keep it more, as no patience to wait for more time. :-) )
Mix it properly and keep it ready.
Keep water till one inch height in a cooker or if you have Idly cooker. Keep it on heat. Till it starts boiling, apply oil and pour the batter in to all the plates. Keep it in the cooker without weight on the top. Steam it for 10 minutes on high flame and 5 minutes of low flame. Allow it to cool. Idly s are ready to serve.
Coming to the next recipe i.e chutney,
Easy and fast to prepare if you have Mixer or grinder.
Fresh coconut - 1 cup, grated or cut into pieces
Green chilly - 2
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
or lime juice - 1 tsp
Ginger - very small piece, chopped
Sugar - 1 tsp
Fresh dalia - 2 tbsp(optional)
Salt to taste
Curry Leaves - few
Water to help in grinding in to fine paste.
Add everything in a grinder and make into fine or coarse paste(as you like). My mom likes the coarse chutney as she loves to feel the coconut in the mouth. But for me, I like it fine paste!!
For tempering,
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Hing - pinch
Heat oil in a small kadai, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Remove it from heat. After a minute add hing. Allow it to cool and add it to the chutney.
The last recipe is Sambhar,
Preparing sambhar is totally your choice. As there are 1000 ways to cook delicious sambhar. Here I am giving a simple sambhar or you can say instant sambhar! without any vegetables. In future, hope fully I will try to post the veg. sambhar that goes well with Idly.
Toor dal - 1 cup (You can use other dal also, put Toor dal is the best for this type of sambhar)
Hing - pinch
Onion - 1 small, chopped into long slices
Tomato - 2 big, chopped
Curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera or cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
Ready sambhar masala - 2 tbsp ( I use MTR SAMBHAR POWDER)
(If not available do not worry, I will give the masala recipe)
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp or 1 1/2 as per your taste
Jaggery - 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
Water to make required consistency
Wash and soak the toor dal for 15 to 30 minutes. Cook it with hing. It should be fully cooked. keep it aside.
To prepare the sambhar :
Heat oil in kadai, add mustard and cumin seeds. when mustard seeds splutter add onion and curry leaves. Cook for a minute. Then goes tomato and tamarind paste, cook it till tomato starts leaving oil. Now add MTR POWDER, red chilly powder, salt, jaggery and turmeric powder. Mix it and allow it to cook for few seconds. Add cooked dal, mix it with the masala, close the lid and cook for 2 minutes. Open the lid add water. Again boil it for 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and cook for some more time. Sambhar is ready.
Now, if you do not have ready sambhar masala,
This is my mother's way :
Fry
few pieces of fresh or dry coconut,
1 tsp jeera,
1 tbsp dry coriander seeds
1 Dry red chilly
!/2 tsp methi seeds.
grind these ingredients into a fine paste.
And the same procedure follows only to add the homemade powder instead of MTR powder.
(Sorry for not taking the separate photo of sambhar!)
I want to send this to "Cooking Basics Event" held by Mahimaa of Indian Vegetarian Kitchen.
But not sure about its getting entrance to the event as there is already a post for Idly and chutney. No worry, if it is not accepted. I will post something else for the event.
Keep Smiling,
