Recipe for Jazzed-up Idlis with Sambar and Coconut Chutney
1) Recipe for Jazzed-up Idlis:
Ingredients:
- 3 cups white rice + 1 cup brown rice
- 1 cup whole skinned black matpe beans / black gram daal/black lentils (urad daal in Hindi, ulundu in Tamil)
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi in Hindi, vendhayam in Tamil)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tbsp crushed black pepper
- 1 1/2 Tbsp powdered dried ginger
- 1/4 cup cashews roasted and broken in to pieces
- A pinch asafoetida (optional)
- 2 Tbsp raw sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp ghee
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil for coating the idli plates
Method:
Make the batter:
- Wash thoroughly by kneading with your hands the rice and lentils separately and soak for 5-6 hours. Wash fenugreek seeds and soak
- Grind or blend the lentils first until it is as smooth as butter adding only as much water as you need and not a drop more
- Then add the soaked rice, fenugreek seeds and salt and grind in to a smooth batter
- Scoop with your hands (it will ferment better if you use your hands) in to a large container with a lot of headroom for the batter to rise
- Place in a warm spot (I place it inside the oven with the light on) overnight to rise
- After the batter has fermented, add the crushed black pepper, dried ginger powder, asafoetida (if using), cashews, sesame oil and ghee and mix
Make the idlis:
- Coat the depressions on the idli plate with a smidge of oil
- Scoop the batter into them
- Steam for around 15 minutes
- Allow to cool a bit, and remove with a sharp spoon on to a plate
- Serve with sambar and chutney (recipes below)
2) A Simple Coconut Chutney Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup yellow lentils / chana daal (kadalai paruppu in Tamil)
- 1/2 cup grated coconut (found in the frozen section in Indian grocery stores)
- 4 green Thai or Indian chilies (or more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp split urad dal
- A sprig of curry leaves
- Salt to taste
Method:
- Lightly roast the chana daal until golden brown and fragrant and powder in a blender
- Add the grated coconut, green chilies and about 1/4 cup water and blend in to a thick consistency
- Heat oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the urad dal. When golden brown, add the curry leaves and switch off
- Dump the oil seasoning in to the chutney and mix
3) A Simple Sambar Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup split pigeon peas / red gram lentils/red gram daal (toor daal in Hindi, thuvaram paruppu in Tamil)
- 1 small ping pong ball size of tamarind (or 2 Tbsp tamarind paste)
- 2 cups chopped vegetables like potatoes, beans, egg plant, bell pepper, carrots
- A pinch turmeric
- 2 Tbsp sambar powder (available in Indian stores)
- 2 Tbsp grated coconut (found in the frozen section in Indian grocery stores)
- 2 green Thai or Indian chilies
- 1 Tbsp raw sesame oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera in Hindi, jeeragam in Tamil)
- 1 red chili, halved
- A sprig of curry leaves
- Salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro for garnish
Method:
- Wash and soak the lentils overnight. Drain and cook the lentils with 2 cups of water until soft and mushy. (Add more water if necessary)
- Rinse and soak the tamarind in warm water to cover for an hour. Squeeze out the pulp and discard the skin and fibers. Set aside
- Grind together the coconut and chilies with 1/4th cup of water and set aside
- In a large pot, bring the tamarind pulp with about 2 cups of water to a boil and add the chopped vegetables, turmeric and sambar powder. Bring to a boil again and then lower heat and close with a lid and cook until the vegetables are soft. Add the ground coconut and chilies and cook for a few more minutes and switch off heat
- Heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the cumin seeds and red chili. When golden brown, switch off heat and add the curry leaves
- Dump the oil seasoning in to the pot, add salt to taste and mix
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve the sambar with idli