Idli with peanut chutney and carrot chutney

Its weekend again and time to cook some good Indian breakfast for the family. When I was in India and mom used to cook for me, my favourite breakfast was Idli. But my mom didn't like making idlis very often because it takes forever for them to get cooked. All you need to cook idlis is PATIENCE and loads of it. First of all you need to plan atleast a couple of days ahead to make it. Then make the batter and wait for it to get fermented. Then again put the idlis in the cooker and WAIT for them to cook. Then cut the heat again WAIT for them to cool down a bit. THEN finally after a million times of waiting you get to eat them.
                But then when I started cooking for myself I didn't like making idlis. Because I just didn't plan ahead always the idlis would turn out hard. BECAUSE I forgot to ferment the batter. Anyway so I planned ahead, remembered ahead of time to soak the dal, and all and finally made them. This time they turned out delicious and fluffy too. So here's how to make the idlis and the chutneys (accompanements) for them or with dosa or Garelu or plain rice or anything you care to serve them with

Idli (Steam cooked cakes made of rice and peeled black gram)



Fluffy Idli



Ingredients:

1. 1 cup urad dal (peeled black gram)
2. 2 cups rice (If possible do not use Basmati)
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt

Soak the Urad dal and rice in separate containers for atleast 6 hours (The morning before your intended day of eating Idlis works best). In the evening grind the rice and dal (separately....else the rice won't get ground) into a smooth and thick paste with as little water as possible. Add salt and mix the batter well and set on the counter overnight
Mom's tip: Add 1/4 cup of cooked rice while grinding. This enhances the fermentation process and Idlis turn out fluffier

In the morning of your special idli day, take the idli patra (this is a special dish to make idlis) if you don't have it, get some banana leaves add some batter to it and close them and steam them. I am assuming you have an idli patra. Greece the individual idli things and drop some batter in it and steam cook idlis for 20 minutes. After the steam escapes from the cooker. Open and let the patras cool a bit. With a big spoon scoop up the idlis and serve warm with ghee on top, and chutneys or plain if you are serving them to kids. Even my 6 month old eats these.

Peanut Chutney (Roasted peanuts ground with tamarind juice)

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup plain peanuts skinned and dry roasted
2. 1/2 cup juice from tamarind the size of small lime
3. 1/2 in ginger roasted
4. 2 red chillies and 1/2 teaspoon cumin roasted
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. Optional Tempering: 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, mustard seeds, 2 red chillies, few curry leaves

Gring the peanuts first into a coarse powder. Now add the rest of the ingredients and grind to a fine paste. Serve as is or heat the oil for tempering. Add mustad and cumin seeds and let the splutter. Now add chilly pieces and curry leaves and add the hot oil on top of the chutney and serve.

Carrot Chutney (Steamed carrot paste with indian spices)

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups of roughly chopped carrots
2. 1/2 cup chopped onions
3. 1 tablespoon oil
4. 2-3 tablespoons of tamarind juice
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 1 green chilly or 2 dried red chillies
7. 1/2 inch ginger
8. For tempering: 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal, few curry leaves and 2 dried red chillies

Microwave the carrots covered with the tamarind juice for 3 minutes. In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till translucent. add the ginger pieces along with chilly pieces  and fry for a couple of more minutes. Let them cool and grind them along with the rest of the ingredients and carrots into a smooth paste. Add the oil in a pan and add cumin, mustard seeds and urad dal. When they start spluttering add the chilly pieces and curry leaves. For for a couple of more minutes and add the on top of the chutney. Serve with your delicious idlis.

Sambar (Lentils cooked in tamarind juice along with spices)

When I got married my mom gave me this amazing recipe book of vegetarian recipes. In those days I preferred vegetarian to any kind of meat so she presented me with this book. In this book there are about 7 different types of sambar powder recipes. The following is my variation of one of the recipes. I made one of them and let me tell you non of the store bought sambar powders comes close to the taste of my home made sambar powder

Sambar Powder( Indian spice mix)

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup each of chana dal, urad dal, toor dal, coriander seeds
2. 6 dried red chillies (Add more if you want a spicier mix)

Dry roast each ingredient separately and let them cool. Grind them too a fine paste and store in an air tight container

Ingredients for sambar:

1. 1 tablespoons above made smabar powder or any store bought
2. 1 cup toor dal soaked in 2 cups of water
3. 2 cups juice from tamarind the size of a medium lemon
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt, chilly powder, turmeric
5. 1 green chilly chopped
6. Vegetable mix ( 1/4 cup each of roughly chopped onions, carrots, okra, 1 indian brinjal, 1 drumstick cut into pieces)
7. For tempering:  1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, mustard seeds, Hing/ asafoetida 2 red chillies, few curry leaves

In a pressure cooker add the dal and the water they were soaking in and cook for 4 whistles. Let the steam escape, open the cooker and mash them. Add the tamarind juice and all the other ingredients and bring it to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Add the tempering i.e heat the oil fry the cumin, hing and mustard seeds. Add red chillies and curry leaves and fry for a couple of minutes. Add it to sambar, bring it to boiling again. Boil for 5 more minutes. Serve with you idlis.

Yummy breakfast!!!