Variety Idlis

RAVA IDLI

Rava idli
Bombay Rava (pre roasted & stored ) - 1 cup
Slightly sour curds - 1 cup ( beat well )
Gram dhal - 2 tbsp ( optional )
Oil - 3 tbsp,salt
Fruit salt - 1 tsp ( or cooking soda-1/2 tsp )
Coriander leaves - few, chopped
To temper:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2,3 (chopped fine )
Cashewnuts - 5,6 (finely chopped )
Hing powder - 1 tsp
Curry leaves (finely chopped ) - few (optional )

Heat oil, temper all given ingredients, finally add rava & roast lightly so that all ingredients blend well.Remove, cool, add fruit salt, plain salt & coriander leaves
Gram dhal soaked for 1 hour & drained can be added for a light crunchy taste.
All this can be done ahead & kept ready.
Just 10 mts before serving, keep the idli steamer on stove.
When the water starts boling, quickly whisk the curds into the mixture, mixing thoroughly.
If the mixture is mixed with curds don’t keep it, but immediately steam it.
Steam the idlis for 7-8 mts.

Raagi Idli

 

Ingredients:
2 cups - ragi flour
1 cup - urad dal
Salt to taste
* Soak urad dal for about 3 hours and grind the dal nicely.
* And then add the ragi flour.
* Mix well, add salt and keep it overnight to ferment.
* Consistency should be that of a normal idli batter.
* Grease the idli moulds with oil and pour the batter in them.
Steam for about 20 minutes.

Moong dal Idli

Moongdal Idli

Ingredients:                                                      

1 cup - green gram
1 handful - urad dal
Salt and green chilli
Method
Soak the green gram and urad dhal together.
Grind to a coarse paste with salt and green chillies.
 Keep it overnight to ferment.
Pour the batter in the idli moulds, steam it for 8 minutes.
Serve hot with ginger or garlic chutney.
 Oats Idlis
Ingredients:
1 cup - instant oats
1/2 cup - wheat rava
1/2 cup - curd
2 tsp - mustard seeds
1 tsp - green chilli, finely chopped,carrot-grated
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp - baking soda
1/2 tsp - asafoetida
2 tsp - coriander leaves, finely chopped
Oil to grease idli plates

1. Dry roast oats for 3 minutes and set aside.
2. Cool it completely then grind it to a fine powder.
3. Add a tsp of oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, let it splutter then add grated carrot, green chillies, and coriander leaves.
4. Saute till raw smell of carrot leaves.
5. In the mixing bowl containing oats and rava, add curd, salt, asafoetida, baking soda and sauted carrot with tempering done.
6. Add required water to make a batter consistency of our normal idly batter.
7. Grease the idli plates with little oil.
8. Gently put the batter on idli plates with a laddle.
9. Steam it for 10-12 minutes or until done. Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.
10. The taste is very close to rava idlis with the additonal tag of being healthy.

Dinam Oru Kolam -4/14

My Vishu special vishesha nalu moola kolam

Vishu April 14th 2012

Vishu is a festival held in the state of Kerala in India around the first day in the Malayalam month of Medam (April -- May). This occasion signifies the Sun's transit to the zodiac Mesha Mesha Raasi as per Indian astrological calculations. Vishu is also considered as the Malayalam New Year day and thus the importance of this day to all Malayalees  regardless of their religion or sect.

The festival is marked with offerings to the divine called Vishukkani. The offerings consist of a ritual arrangement in the puja room of auspicious articles like raw rice, fresh linen, golden cucumber, betel leaves, arecanut, metal mirror, the yellow flowers konna (Cassia fistula), and a holy text and coins, in a bell metal vessel called uruli. A lighted bell metal lamp called nilavilakku is also placed alongside. This arrangement is completed the previous night. On the day of Vishu, the custom is to wake up at dawn and go to the puja room with the eyes closed so that the Vishukkani is the first thing one sees.
Happy Vishu in advance to all Malayalees.


 VISHU SADYA:

VISHU SADYA

Avial 

Vegetables needed=plantain,drum sticks squash,yam and carrots.
Yogurt
Jeera,grated coconut
green chillies
salt ,coconut oil

1. Wash, cut and boil all the vegetables separately in pressure cooker/microwave oven adding very little water.
2. Grind grated coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds .
3. Mix yoghurt with turmeric powder, asafoetida and little salt.
4. Mix all the boiled vegetables with yoghurt and coconut paste and allow to boil for 2 minutes, not more than that.
5.  add curry leaves and coconut oil. 
6. Avial is ready to be served.

Note:
Boil vegetables separately and add only little water.
After adding curd mix it should not be boiled for more than 2 minutes.

Kaalan

Kaalan is a Keralite dish made of yogurt and coconut with vegetable like plantain or yam. Kaalan is thick gravy and it tastes sour, and it is served as part of Vishu Sadhya and all other Keralites festivals.

Method

• ½ cup coconut, 1tsp cumin seeds and 4 green chilies---first, grind the mixture and keep it aside

• Cook the vegetable with very little water or in buttermilk

• Once the veg. is cooked, add the ground paste and 1 – 1 ½ cup of sour thick buttermilk to this vegetable. Add salt and cook for another couple more  minutes, until it become a thick paste.
  

• garnish curry leaves and coconut oil.

Dinam Oru Kolam -4/2

Dinam Oru Kolam - 4/1/12