Soft, melt-in-the-mouth Idlis:

After what seems like an eternity, I'm bringing this space back to life with a post. I've been collecting recipes, trying new ones and revamping old ones. Quite excited to share all of it with you, my awesome readers.

I've had my hands pretty full over the past 4.5 years. My little boys are no longer babies and are fast growing up. It's been great fun watch them grow.. And fight.. And laugh and do all the stuff little kids do. And now I have two more eager mouths waiting to try all the yummy goodies, so I'm back with the hope they will keep me motivated enough to keep this space alive and kicking!

I'm here to share a new recipe for the humble breakfast of us, South Indians. It's comforting, easy to make and pretty much loved by all from Toddler to Thatha (grandpa)! The awesome glorious Idli. Soft, pillowy, melt-in-the-mouth goodness. Dunked in piping hot sambar, your taste buds will thank you!

There are many versions to this dish and the key is finding one that works for you and holding on to it real tight. Idlis are a staple and you want to have a good solid recipe that yields beautiful idlis inside and out. This is one such recipe.

Note: Portion is any cup you choose to use. Make sure you use the same cup to measure out the ingredients listed.

Ingredients:

Makes : 45-48 idlis

4 cups Par-boiled rice/Idli rice

1 cup Urad dal

1/2 cup Sago/Sabudana (white tapioca pearls)

1 tsp Fenugreek(methi) seeds

Salt as required

Soak the urad dal and sago separately. Combine the rice and fenugreek seeds. Soak overnight or for atleast 6-7 hours. Grind everything into a smooth paste with very little water. The smoothness of the batter is important to achieve soft idlis. Combine well in a large bowl or container and allow to ferment overnight in a warm place. If it's winter in your part of the world now, then place batter in a pre-heated oven that's been turned off or in a cool oven with just the oven light turned on. Make sure you place the vessel/container on a sheet tray to catch batter overflows if any. Trust me, you don't want to wake up to a batter volcano - which is awesome coz it's a sign of great fermentation- but not so awesome when it comes to cleaning it up!

Most people add salt at this point but I prefer to add it the next day once it's fermented. I've noticed adding salt before makes the batter turn sour much quicker than if added later. The batter will double in volume so make sure you have the batter in a large deep vessel/container.

Once fermented, stir the batter. Add salt as needed (if you haven't already added it) This quantity needs about 3-4 teaspoons of salt. Add water only if needed. The batter should be thick but free flowing.

Apply oil on the idli plates. Fill each mold about 2/3rd of the way and place in a pressure cooker on high heat. When the steam rises, cook for 10 minutes and then turn off heat.

Remove idli plates and let rest for a minute before unmolding the idlis with a spoon.

Serve hot with Sambar and/or Coconut chutney. Both recipes are in this post from a few years ago.

The same batter can also be used to make Dosas. Add water to make a pouring consistency. Add little sugar to get a nice color on the dosas. More familiarly known in our local lingo as 'nice roast'. Make dosas on a non-stick tava or a seasoned cast iron pan. This batter makes tasty crispy dosas. 

Idli batter Bajjis

When idli batter turns too sour to make idlis, make bajjis! The more tangy the batter, the better these bajjis taste.

I almost always get stuck with overly sour batter and never know what to do with other than Masala idlis or Idli upma. This is another one of mom's creations, and a very good one at that!

This makes for a quick snack any day of the week.

You will need:

1 Cup sour Idli batter (click on link to see how to make Idli batter)

½ cup Rice flour

½ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Cumin seeds

2 tbsp fresh coconut bits (or fresh grated coconut)

Vegetable/Canola Oil for deep frying

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. The consistency should be thick and stiff enough to scoop with a spoon (not flowing). Taste and check for seasoning, add more salt if necessary.

Heat oil in a deep pan. Scoop the batter with your fingers or with a spoon and drop in hot oil.

Fry till golden brown, about 10 seconds on each side. Drain on paper towels and eat with ketchup.

That’s it…quick and easy and an excellent way to salvage sour idli batter.

Rava Idlis and Bombay Gojju

Rava idlis with Bombay Gojju was a mandatory weekly meal for either breakfast or dinner when I was back home.

Bombay Gojju or Bombai gojju, is a favourite with puris as well. No idea where that name came from or why it is even called Bombai gojju, nevertheless it was one of the first few dishes I learnt from my mom before I got married.

Mom makes her own Rava Idli mix, but I was too lazy to learn how to make it, so since the time I’ve come here I’ve been using the MTR Rava Idly Mix. But now for the sake of my blog, to keep it original, I finally took the recipe from mom over phone and gave it a try. 

Home-made Rava Idly Mix

You will need: (Makes: 18 Idlis)

1 Cups Semolina (Upma Rava)
½ tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Chana Dal

Few Curry leaves (finely chopped)

2-3 tbsp Cashew broken to bits

¼ cup Oil

½ tsp Cooking Soda

Salt to taste

(Cup: Standard Cup measurements)

Dry roast the semolina over medium heat till its fragrant and light. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and chana dal. Saute for a minute and then add the curry leaves and cashew bits. Now add the roasted Semolina and sauté for a few minutes. Turn off heat and let cool. Stir in the soda. Use immediately to make Rava Idlis.

This mix cannot be stored for more than 3 days, hence its best to prepare the mix when you want to make Idlis.

Rava Idlis

You will need:

1 portion Rava Idli Mix

2- 2 ½ portions Yoghurt (Curd)

Chopped coriander

Use one measure for both the idli mix and the yoghurt.

Mix yoghurt, rava idli mix and chopped coriander. The batter should be thick and of pouring consistency.

Oil Idli plates, pour batter in each idli mould up to 3/4^th. Steam in a pressure cooker on high till pressure rises. Then reduce heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes.

Let cool and unmould idlis, serve hot with Bombay Gojju.

Bombay Gojju

You will need:

1 Large Potato (boiled)

1 Medium sized Onion (thinly sliced)

2 Small tomatoes chopped

6 Green chillies

2 tbsp Gram flour (Besan)
1/2 tsp Rasam powder 

½ tsp Garam Masala

1 tsp Lemon juice

Salt to taste

Water as required

Chopped coriander

3 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Urad Dal

½ tsp Chana Dal

Few curry leaves

½ tsp Turmeric Powder

Roughly mash the boiled potato and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, Urad dal and chana dal. Saute for a minute and then add curry leaves and slit green chillies. Add the sliced onions and fry till soft and translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till soft, now add the turmeric and fry for an additional minute. Now add about 1 ½ cups water, and stir. Add the mashed potato and salt. Bring to a boil.

Mix gram flour in little water to make a thick liquid like consistency and add it to the boiling curry. Stir while adding, this thickens the curry immediately. Add lime juice and Garam masala powder. Bring to a simmering boil and turn off heat. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with Rava idlis or Puris.

Bombay gojju is my entry to the event "Grindless Gravies" hosted by Sra of When My Soup Came Alive

Idli Upma and Dill Rice

There’s many a time when we have a fridge full of left overs and don’t know where to begin clearing it. After the Ganesha habba I was left with a lot of Idli batter. I know it keeps for a long time and I can make idlis whenever but I already had some left over from before too so that makes a lot of batter in the fridge! Moreover I've had idlis so many times now I just want to stop for a while!!I had to finish the batter so I went ahead and made the idlis but it didn’t stop there. I made Idli upma from it, unless you tell someone what the upma is they wouldn’t guess its from Idlis…hehe

So Idli Upma is my entry to the event Weekend Breakfast Blogging (WBB), hosted by Nandita of Saffron Trail. This time the theme is Breakfast with Leftovers.

Idli Upma

You will need:

10-15 steamed idlis (powdered)
2 tbsps Oil
1 onion chopped
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad dal
½ tsp Chana dal
6 Green chillies
Few curry leaves
½ tsp Turmeric powder
½ tsp Lime juice
Chopped coriander
Salt to taste

Break up the idlis with your hands or with the help of fork. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal and chana dal. Saute for a minute. Add the curry leaves and green chillies. Add the chopped onions anf fry till soft. Add the turmeric powder and sauté for a minute. Add the idli powder and mix well. Add salt to taste and lime juice. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve.

Dill Rice

Dill is a strong herb which is used a lot in our cooking back home. We call it Sabakshi soppu in Kannada and I had no idea what it was called in English till I came to the US :-D When I first bought it in Kroger, since it’s a ‘herb’ it was being sold in small boxes, probably a few sprigs for around $4..I sighed and finally bought it because it looked very familiar and I had a recipe to use it in. I got home and when I tasted it I laughed so hard at the fact that I had bought a few sprigs of Sabakshi for $4 when I can get around 2 big bunches of the same at an Indian grocery store!! J Well now I know what ‘Dill’ is and definitely buy it at an Indian store…he he!

Dill Rice or Sabakshi Rice not only brings out the best flavour of Dill but it is a quick recipe for an instant meal.

You will need

Steamed Rice
2 tbsps Oil
1 onion chopped
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad dal
½ tsp Chana dal
6 Green chillies
½ bunch Dill (about ¾ cup chopped)
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal and the chana dal. Add the slit green chillies. Saute for a minute and then add the chopped onions. Fry till soft and onions are translucent. Add the chopped Sabakshi (Dill) and fry for a couple of minutes till the raw smell of the Dill is gone. Add the steamed rice and salt. Mix well and serve hot.

RCI :KA again!! Bisibelebath, Idli Sambar and Masale Idli

Do I hear a “Oh no, how many entries?” hehe...I really can’t help submitting more and more entries to Asha’s RCI :Karnataka

Bisibelebath is the most common of dishes to the Karnataka cuisine. Made with Rice, Tuar Dal and a unique blend of spices, Bisibelebath is a mouth watering dish. The only key is to get the masala right, then on its easy sailing. Nothing beats home made Bisibelebath, not even the Ready-to-Eat packets. No entry to a Karnataka event is complete without Bisibelebath :-D

First we need to make the Bisibelebath powder…a key ingredient to making good Bisibelebath. Bisibelebath tastes different in different homes not because its made differently but because the powder used contains various combinations of spices.

Bisibelebath Powder

You will need:

1 cup Chana Dal
1 cup Urad Dal
2 cups Corriander seeds
1 cup Cumin seeds
1 ½ cups Dry red chillies (Byadagi)
½ cup Curry leaves
1 ¼ cup Grated dry coconut

¼ cup Salt
100 gms Tamarind

( Cup = standard cup measure)

Roast each ingredient separately with little oil till they are brown and are fragrant (Chana dal to Dry coconut) Cut Tamarind into small bits and heat in a pan on low flame. When it becomes soft, add this to the roasted ingredients and salt and grind to a fine powder. Store in a air tight container and use as required.

Go ahead and make the whole quantity, I have many more recipes that use Bisibelebath powder other than just Bisibelebath.

Bisibelebath

You will need: (Serves 6)

50 gms Green Beans (1” pcs)
2 medium Carrots (1” pcs)
2 large onions cubed
50 gms Peas (fresh/frozen)
2 Tomatoes cubed
100 gms. Peanuts
2 small pcs Jaggery (optional)
¼ tsp Garam Masala
3 tsps Bisibelebath powder (see recipe above)
¼ kg Rice
125 gms Tuar Dal
Water ( For every cup of Rice & Tuar dal : 4 cups of water)
100 ml Tamarind juice
Salt to taste
3-4 tbsps Ghee

For seasoning:

1 tsp Ghee
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Chana dal
4 dry red chillies (broken into pcs. )
Few curry leaves

Wash the rice and Tuar dal. Add all veggies to this with measured quantity of water. Cook on high and when steam begins to rise, add weight and cook on low for 6-7 minutes. Let cool for a couple of minutes. Now add the Bisibelebath powder, tamarind juice, salt and the garam masala. Mix well and add 2-3 tbsps of Ghee, bring to a boil. Add more water if its too thick.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and when it begins to splutter add the chana dal, curry leaves and dry red chillies. Add this to the Bisibelebath, stir and serve hot with Curd raitha and Potato chips.

Curd Raitha

1 tomato chopped
½ cucumber chopped
1 onion chopped
6 green chillies chopped
Salt to taste
1 ½ cups thick curds/unflavoured yoghurt

Mix all of the above ingredients. Add little water to make raitha consistency. Chill and serve with hot Bisibelebath.

Idli & Sambar

This again is a traditional Karnataka dish. When I was a kid, every Sunday morning was mandatory Idli & Sambar. We ate it while watching Cartoons and later while parents watched “Mahabharat” both on Doordarshan. Boy, those were the good ol' days... Almost 2 decades later, Idli and Sambar is still a hot favourite back home.

Idlis

To make the batter:

2 portions Rice
2 portions Par boiled Rice (kusubalakki - also called Idli Rice)
½ portion Poha
1 ¾ portions Urad dal

Soak overnight the first three together and urad dal separately. Next day grind to a fine paste with as less water as possible. The finer the batter the better the idlis. Let ferment overnight. The batter should rise well when the temperature outside is hot, if it doesn’t rise then you can add ¼ tsp Cooking soda which helps in fermentation. Use as required and refrigerate remaining batter.

Pour batter into idli plates and place in pressure cooker. Close lid,cook on high and when steam rises, reduce heat and cook for 10 mins and then turn off heat. Let sit for a few minutes before opening the lid. With the help of a spoon, remove idlis and serve with Sambar.

Sambar

There are many ways to make Sambar for idlis. In most restaurants, they use the regular Sambar powder. My mom makes it using Bisibelebath powder, it tastes very different and goes great with Idlis.

You will need:

100 gms Tuar Dal
2 medium sized Potatoes cubed
2 Onions cubed
2 Tomatoes cubed
1 ½ tsps Bisibelebath powder (recipe above)
Few curry leaves
50 ml Tamarind juice
1 ½ litres Water
Chopped Corriander for Garnish
Salt to taste
Mustard seasoning ( Mustard seeds fried in oil with little hing)

Pressure cook Tuar dal with potatoes, onions and tomatoes. When steam begins to rise, place weight and cook on low for 10 mins. After its done, add Bisibelebath powder, salt, tamarind juice and curry leaves. Bring to a boil. Add the mustard seasoning . Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with Idlis.

When the idli batter turns sour plain idlis aren’t tasty…so my mom used to spice it up a bit and make Masale Idlis.

Masale Idli

Idli batter as required (recipe for batter above)
1 red onion chopped
1 Carrot grated
1 tsp Green chilli paste (Green chillies finely ground with little salt)
Chopped Corriander

For this dish the idli batter should be sour. Usually the batter becomes sour after several weeks (atleast here in the US..hehe..back home its sooner!)To make the batter sour place batter outside the refrigerator for couple of hours or overnight, that should do the trick.

Mix all the above ingredients and pour into idli plates. Place in a pressure cooker,close lid,cook on high and when steam rises, reduce heat and cook for 10 mins and then turn off heat. Serve with chutney.