Showing posts with label Urad dal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Urad dal. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Proso Idly(Kanchipuram style)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi All,

South Indian's most favorite and most regular food! And the most healthiest breakfast anyone can have. Even while travelling, it is considered as the safest food as it is steamed. And here there is one more healthy addition to this traditional recipe. I have prepared these idlys using millet. Yes! I always use millet in one or the other way in my food. We call these millet as 'Siri Dhanya' also. Already everyone is talking or already written a lot about these millet and the benefits. So I am directly jumping to the recipe. 



Here I have used Baragu or Proso  with rice. Actually we can use any millet and the taste and texture comes out the same though the health benefit is different for each millet. But please keep in mind not to use millet daily or regularly as we all know too much is too bad, let it be any thing, right?
And what is this Kachipuram style?
I got the recipe from a TV show where Chef Rakesh Shethi was showing. I was surprised to see that curds goes into this idly. So thought of trying it. 


Ingredients :

Raw rice or idly rice - 1 cup
Porso - 1 cup
Urad dal - 3/4 cup
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
thick or medium poha - 1/4 cup
Fresh curd - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder  - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 tbsp, washed and chopped finely
Green chilly - 2, washed and chopped finely
Dash of hing
Ginger - 1 tbsp, cleaned and finely chopped
Fresh coriander - handful, cleaned and finely chopped
Salt to taste
Oil to apply to the idly mould.



Method :

  • Take the rice, methi seeds and urad dal  in a bowl and wash it twice. 
  • Take Porso in another bowl and wash it twice. 
  • Soak both in a separate bowls for 4-6 hours.
  • Half an hour before grinding, add poha to the rice bowl and keep it ready.
  • Grind both separately. 
  • Add very less water to porso before grinding as more water will not allow the millet to turn into paste. 
  • Mix both the batter properly  in one steel or glass vessel. 
  • Allow it to ferment either over night or till it becomes double. It always depends on the weather also. If the batter doesn't come up or doubles, then the idlys will not be soft. 
  • In the morning, or when you are ready to use the batter, 
  • Add the curd, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves and fresh coriander.
  • Add the salt and mix well. 
  • Keep the cooker or idly steamer on a gas stove with one cup of water. 
  • while the water becomes hot, grease the mould with oil and pour the batter in the mould. 
  • Take the idly stand and keep in a steamer or cooker, close it and steam it without the whistle(if using cooker) on high flame for 5 minutes and 2-3 minutes on low flame. Switch off the gas stove. Allow it to cool. 
  • Serve these softest idlys with your favorite chutney and sambhar or just like that with ghee. 
  • You can get some more idly, sambhar and chutney recipes Idly,Sambhar and ChutneyMangalore cucumber sambhar




Please let me know if you try this recipe.


Keep Smiling, 

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

SANNA ~IDLIS | STEAMED RICE CAKE FROM MANGALORE FOR ICC

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi All,
A recipe prepared with yeast always puts me in tension till it is prepared and its served on the table.
This time, when Valli announced this month's  Indian Cooking Challenge and I checked the ingredients, my first response was NO!! This month also I am not going to participate in the event. I removed it from my mind to make it. But last week, when I saw the active yeast packet in a super market, somehow I felt I should try it. Its better to try and fail than never trying and crying afterwards. I brought the packet and boiled rice. Still I took few more days to make up my mind. 
Valli has chosen the recipe from  Shireen Sequeira's Mom. 

Day before yesterday I tried these Sannas. My first batch was a flop. Sannas were hard and tasteless. May be the reason was the batter was not fully fermented.

Please visit Valli 's PAGE  for the ingredients and the method. 
Lets see how I prepared these Sannas.
I did not take the step by step pictures  but will write down the method I followed.
I took the exact measurement of all the ingredients as in the recipe.
I soaked Urad dal(1/4 cup), Boiled rice(1 1/2cup) and raw rice(1/2 cup) separately at 11.45 AM.
At 3.00PM. I prepared the yeast(1 tsp heaped) solution with sugar(1 tsp) in tepid water(3 tbsp). Kept it for 10 minutes.
Till then, I prepared the urad dal paste first and then both the rice. It took time for the rice to get into fine paste.Mixed all the three nicely and added the yeast solution. Mixed it well. Added the salt to taste and 2 tsp more sugar. Mixed well and kept it closed till 5.30 PM.
Checked the batter, it was not fully up but my daughter was hungry. Thinking that given time in the original recipe was 1 1/2 hour, I tried making first batch.
This is what I got: hard and taste less.


                         First time, my elder daughter had it with sauce.

Then I waited till 7 PM and prepared two more batches. I got them nice puffy and tasty :-)
I prepared a simple sambhar and we had it for our dinner. My both the kids enjoyed it. Hey, one sanna I made in a Thatte idly stand, a big round one. My younger one loved it with ghee and sambhar.


I enjoyed my yeastwala sannas :-)

Keep Smiling, 

Friday, October 12, 2012

SOYA BEANS IDLY

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi All,
Idly recipe(Idly, Sambhar and Chutney) is already there in my blog.. but that is a regular method of making.. Here is another way of making your healthy idly healthier or healthiest... Yes, Soya beans are very good for health. We always think how to add these in our diet. I have many ways for it..
Soak the beans for 8-10 hours, drain and deep fry in the oil  or roast in the oven, add salt and chilly powder.
Make the soya beans powder and add it while making chapatis, Thaali peeth.
Or as usual make the curry, masala, salad...
These idly taste very good, same like normal idly. And the batter wont turn sour next day(it happens with the normal batter)

Ingredients:
Urad dal - 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup
Soya beans - 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
Thick poha(puffed rice) - handful
Idly rava - 2 1/2 cup(ready available in the stores)
Salt to taste 
(the proportion is  1/2:1/2: 2 1/2 or 1/4:3/4:2 1/2)
If you are trying for the first time and not sure about the taste of soya beans in idly, go with 1/2:1/2 portion.

Method:
Soak urad dal, soya beans and methi seeds together in a vessel with enough water for 4-6 hours.(both the urad dal and beans get doubled in size in few hours and there is a chance that if you don't see they wont get soaked properly. JUST ONE HOUR BEFORE GRINDING, ADD POHA INTO IT.
Drain the water and grind into fine batter.
Transfer into a big steel vessel. Add the salt and mix nicely with your hands.
Keep it untouched in a warm place for 6 to 8 hours(In winter it takes more time)


Before making idly,
Add the water in a cooker and keep it on slow flame till you fill the idly mould with the batter.
Mix the batter properly, grease the idly plates with oil, Pour the batter to fill the moulds.
Keep it in the cooker and close the lid WITHOUT whistle.
Steam for 6 minutes on high and another 3-4 minutes on low flame.
Remove from the heat, allow it to cool.
Carefully open the lid and take out the idly stand.
Keep it like that only for 5 minutes. Then remove the idlys into a serving bowl.
Enjoy these softest idlys with Onion sambhar and chutney,.
(recipe for the sambhar and chutney is in my previous idly post)
Just add baby onions in oil before adding the masalas, which will make the sambhar into onion sambhar.

I love it....

Keep Smiling,

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Urad Dal Vada, Repentance and a contest for this story.

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi All,
My trial to polish myself and check whether I can write a fiction. I tried last month also and was successful with real story. This time it is a fiction with my imagination.I hope you all will like it and encourage me to write in the future also.


REPENTANCE


He was coming to this restaurant, since 1 1/2 years for his dinner. It was his favorite place to have peaceful meals with all his favorite food. He had changed his dinner time from 9pm to 8 pm as he wanted to enjoy his dinner and the restaurant was closed at 9.  His office had a canteen and his lunch was fixed there only. But he always looked forward to have his dinner here.
The restaurant started 2 years back and it was on the main road. It was a small place and always full. People used to wait to get the seats to have their food. He never missed the Sunday breakfast here as the Set Dosa and Sagu was famous here. He always missed his mother for her delicious food. She was a great cook. Just 2 months before his marriage, his mother was no more in this world. That was the saddest day of his life.
Waiting for his turn to get the table to have his lunch, his mind traveled 3 years back.
All the preparations were done for his marriage. Mother was so happy that she is going to get a daughter-in-law and she was sure that she will welcome her daughter-in-law as a daughter. She had only one son. She always dreamed about teaching her new daughter-in-law all the cooking skills and some old secret recipes. She knew her son is fond of eating and he enjoyed the tasty food which she prepared. She wanted  her son not to get disappointed with his wife's cooking. She always worried about this and she looked for a girl who can cook well.
When they went to see Sukanya, her first question was "do you know cooking?" And Sukanya's mother had replied that her daughter can make delicious food! But the truth was, Sukanya never entered the kitchen other than taking the plate which was served.
With all other things settled, the marriage date was fixed after 3 months.
Just 2 months before his marriage, one day morning his mother did not get up from the bed. That was the end of her dreams about her daughter-in-law and her secret recipes.
Relatives forced him to get married on the fixed date only as he and his father needed a woman in the house to look after. That’s how Sukanya came in his life and both took an oath to be together and always support each other , let any thing comes. 
First two months went in visiting relative’s house with grand food. Sukanya did not get chance to show her culinary skill. She was relaxed! Some times, she prepared morning tea and it never came out well. But being still in a romantic mood with his new wife, he never took it seriously!
The trouble started only after 2 months, when Sukanya started making food everyday. She did not get much time to learn cooking and she never listened to her mother who was always behind her to learn cooking. Now she repented!
She had collected many recipe books and few tips written by her mother. But, she never got any food right!
After few days of tasting her uncooked food, more salty food, very spicy food, stone like idly, more oiled chapattis, burnt halwa.... he was very upset. His father was an old man and he did not eat much other than Ganji, and he was quite. He knew that she will learn soon.
But her husband did not have patience to wait for her to learn to cook properly. There was no way of comparing her with his mother and he was angrier with Sukanya's mother about not telling the truth.
Everyday he came home with the hope of having good food and went to sleep with anger and disappointment. It started affecting their married life. The whole day she will be thinking what to prepare, how to prepare and she stopped taking care of her also. She looked like a servant without proper dressing.
It was just six months of their marriage. That was the day! He came home and he was hungry. He wanted to have Vada. He had called from office in the after noon only to her and told her to make vadas. He thought at least she can make these as it is easy to make!! He came to the kitchen. She was standing there in a corner with tears in her eyes. She prepared the batter for Vada and it became so much watery. She could not add anything to it to adjust. She forgot to read in her recipe book that water should not be added while grinding the dal.
He could not control his anger. He started beating her and he pulled her hair, took her to his room. He packed her bag and put her out of the house. She cried for long time, and requested him to give her one more chance. His father was out of station. That’s all he knew. After that he never tried to know about her, and warned his father not to contact her or her family.
He struggled to manage the cooking for him and his father. He arranged for a cook, whose cooking was bad but was better than Sukanya's.
The waiter patted his back as the seat got empty. He enjoyed his food as usual and went home.
When this restaurant was opened, he did not go there for first few days. One day, his friend gave a small party in that hotel for him and few more friends. His friend told that the vadas are very special here. When he tasted the first bite, he remembered his wife.  He missed her many times. Other than cooking, she was a very good person. She always cared for his little things and she kept everything ready. She kept the house clean and neat. She was a very loving wife, if only that cooking was not there. He had left the party in the middle only and gone to his house with the pain in his heart.  He always thought about that evening and repented for his behavior. He should have been supported her to learn cooking.
But being a person who loved good food, his legs took him to the restaurant again. He ordered Dosa this time and enjoyed eat bite with chutney and potato sabji. From that day he started coming regularly. He always wanted to know who the main chef there is. But the cooking area was restricted and no one was allowed to peep in also. There was a small passage in between the customer area and the cooking area. Several times he asked the waiter over there, but he did not get any answer. Waiter used to just smile and go away. This made him curious to know about the chef. But he could not get any way to find it.
One day, stock checking was going on in his office and it was closed for half day. As the canteen was also closed, he came to this restaurant to have his lunch. Then, he saw a woman entering the kitchen. He was shocked. It was Sukanya. He ran to her and stopped her. She was not surprised to see him. All these years she saw him coming here and enjoying the food. She was the main chef there who controlled the cooking area. Without saying a word she went inside and the door was locked. He sat on nearby seat frozen for long time. 
He did not know when he got up and started back to his house. Then he suddenly remembered the name of that restaurant. It is SURUCHI. This was the name they both had thought of their child if the girl was born.
Sukanya entered the kitchen and started preparing the food for Evening snacks. Vada was her main snack, which she never allowed any one to make. The other assistants always wondered about this secret. But she alone knew it. While preparing the batter, she started thinking about her struggled years. 
When he did not open the door at all, she went to the bus stand and got the bus to her parent’s house. She reached home and told everything to her parents. Few days her mother was upset. She thought of going to Sukanya's husband and requesting him to take her daughter back, as she felt guilty of spoiling her own daughter's life with her single lie. But Sukanya was not ready to go back. She started helping her mother in the kitchen. She was determined to learn all the cooking. She attended a cooking class too. She learnt all the cooking and became the best cook. It took more than a year for her.
And then, she went to her father and asked for his help to open a small restaurant in her husband's town. Her parents were surprised but the father was happy to do the same. He searched for a place where Sukanya can start the business. Luckily he got a space in a complex which was previously used as a canteen. It was near her husband's house. He supervised for the renovation and Sukanya started this restaurant. She was sure that one day her husband will find her and she was confident about what to do if he sees her. And the day has come. 
She came back to the present and started making vadas. She did not bother to see whether he went or not.But she knew that he will come again. 
He came again the next day on the same time. He wanted to request her to come back into his life. He promised himself that he will never hurt her again. 
But she never came out again. 
After 10 years:
SURUCHI has become the best restaurant in the city. Sukanya took the adjacent shop also to combine both and turn the restaurant into big one.
Every day he comes to the restaurant, not for food, but, in the hope of getting her back into her life! 

Recipe for Urad dal Vada:

Urad dal or black gram - 1 cup
Raw rice - 2 tbsp 
Or Rice flour - 2 tbsp
Ginger - 1/2" piece, cleaned and chopped
Green chilly -2 cut into two
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp (optional)
Curry leaves - few, chopped finely
Salt to taste
Fresh coconut - 1/4 cup, cut into tiny cubes
Pepper corns - 8 to 10(avoid this, if serving it to the kids)
Oil to fry

Soak the Urad dal for 2 hours (do not soak more time, as the Vada absorbs more oil). If adding raw rice, soak it with dal only.
Drain the water, add green chilly, ginger, cumin seeds, curry leaves and grind into fine paste. Do not add water at all. If you feel it’s not getting fine paste, then only add a tbsp of water.
Transfer the paste in a bowl. Add salt, rice flour (if using), coconut pieces and pepper corns.  Mix well.
Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai. 
Take a leaf or thick plastic or aluminum foil. Sprinkle water on it. 
Take little batter (a big lemon size). Keep on the foil.
Press and make hole in the middle to give Vada shape.
Slowly transfer it into your palm, and slid it into hot oil.
Take care as if you hurry the oil will splash out and you may burn your fingers.
Vadas are ready to eat with your favorite chutney and Sambhar.

Sending this to  
Of Chalks to Chopsticks hosted by Jaya ,an event started by Aqua.

Now coming to the contest,
I am happy with the ending of this story, but I want to know about other endings also. I need you to read the story and give another ending. 
There are two options,
1.Either you take the original story till Sukanya comes to her parent's house. Give a twist to it and end it in some other way.
or
2. take the original story till he sees her in the restaurant, and continue to give some other ending.
Hope you all will think some other ending for it and send it to me. 
The contest ends on September 20th. 
Send the details to nivedita.mt@gmail.com with subject as "End of Repentance" with
Your name :
Your blog name:
url of the post :
Non bloggers are also welcome. Send the details to the above mail.

Keep Smiling,

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Idly, Sambhar and Chutney

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,

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