Sesame seed chutney

 There are so many varieties of chutney that are served along side dosa or idli in India. Every restaurant has its own specialty and even when they serve the same chutney every single one of them tastes different.

The chutney I made today is from Bharat's recipe. He is one of the chefs who has lots of easy recipe shorts and videos on youtube.

Sesame seed chutney (Accompaniment for Dosa or idli)

Peanut sesame seeds chutney

Ingredients: 

1. 1/4 cup each of peanuts, sesame seeds
2. 3 red chillies
3. 1 large or 2 medium garlic pods
4. 3/4 teaspoon salt
5. 1-1.5 cups water

For tempering:

1. 2 teaspoons oil
2. 1 teaspoon urad dal
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, mustard seeds
4. 2 red chillies broken
5. few curry leaves

Dry roast the peanuts and red chillies and set aside. Add the garlic to the last 1 minute of roasting. Dry roast the sesame seeds for 5 minutes of medium low frame. Keep stirring so that they do not burn. Let them cool. Grind all the ingredients into a smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds and cover and fry for 1-2 minutes until they start to splutter. Add the curry leaves and fry and turn the heat off. Add the rest of the ingredients and fry for 30 seconds and add this tempering to the chutney in a bowl. Mix well and serve.

Enjoy with idli or dosa

Grind the peanuts

Sabudana Bonda

 This is a recipe from my never ending hunts for "something new" . 
Its summer...meaning...all three meals have to be cooked. No "left overs" as people are all at home and they finish up everything there is  edible at home. No complaints :) May be!!!

Anyway, this Sabudana bonda recipe, is usually deep fried byt as I tend to avoid deep frying things...I used the Appam pan . And I also made my fam favorite Peanut Chutney to go with it

Sabudana Bonda (Tapioca fritters)

Sabudaana Bonda

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup Sabudaana washed
2. 1 cup plain yogurt beaten
3. 2-3 tablespoon rice flour
4. 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
5. 1 heaped tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
6. 2 Thai or 1 Serrano chilli chopped fine (reduce if you want less heat)
7. 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
8. 3/4 teaspoon salt
9. 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
10. 1 tablespoon grated coconut
11. 1 teaspoon baking soda
12. oil for deep frying to to add to the Appam pan

Beat the yogurt and add the washed tapioca to it and set it aside for 4-8 hrs. Check how much water there is in the Tapioca yogurt mixture and add more water 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix it with all the other ingredients except oil. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Heat the appam pan or oil in a pan. Make 1 to 1.5 inch balls out of the tapioca mixture. Deep fry them or add each ball to the appam pan and cover and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cover and cook for 2 more minutes. Turn if needed and cook for 1 more minute. Let cool a bit and enjoy with ketchup or with Any Chutney

Another Sabudana Recipe : Sabudana Khichidi

Instant Idli

Idli used to be my favorite breakfast and my mom used to make it but she was never happy when I would ask her to make it. Now...after becoming a mom myself I am also not very crazy when the request for idli comes around once in a a while, without  my prior planning.

I know there are lots of recipes for instant idlis and this time around I had to make some instant idlis...well instant is not the correct word cause idlis do take some time to get made. Anyway...

Here is the recipe I made my "instant" idlis with. No Eno salt. But with baking soda and baking powder.

Instant Idli (Steamed rice buns wiwhout 2 days of preparation)

Instant Idli

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup poha (flatenned rice)
2. 2 cups rice flour
3. 1 cup urad dal flour
4. 1 teaspoon fenugreek powder 
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. 1/2 teaspoon citric acid
7. 1 teaspoon baking soda
8. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
9. 1 tablespoon plain yogurt (optional)
10. 3-4 cups of water

Mix all the ingredients together and set it aside for 10 minutes.

Apply oil to the idli molds, add batter to them and steam them for 18-20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve with your favorite chutney. Here are some suggestions :)

Coconut chutney

Tomato Chutney

Ridge gourd Peel chutney

Eggplant chutney

Peanut chutney

Carrot Chutney 

Coconut Peanut Chutney

I have been out of town for almost 2 months and when I came back there have been some changes which have happened in the stores at the home front.
Firstly, there used to be a KFC close to home which is being replaced by Starbucks...proof that the coffee giant of America is getting bigger.
Next, there is a Walmart neighborhood market coming in front of the Starbucks. Thats not the surprise. The surprise is there is a Walmart Superstore about 1 mile from this location. The general store giant is getting bigger also.
Another big surprise for me-Indian food items in Walmart as well as other grocery stores around here. So the other day I got the Gits brand Idlis from Walmart and I made them today and to go with them I combined my favorite along with my hubby dears . I love Peanut Chutney and his favorite is Coconut Chutney. So today it was Coconut Peanut Chutney. And here is the recipe

Coconut Peanut Chutney (Peanut Coconut accompaniment)

Coconut Peanut Chutney

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup packed frozen coconut or 1 cup fresh coconut grated
2. 1/2-3/4 cup peanuts dry roasted
3. 1/2 thick juice from a small lime sized tamarind
4. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
5. 2 green chillies or 1 serrano chili

Dry roast the peanuts and let it cool. Thaw the frozen coconut. Grind the peanuts and coconut into a fine paste along with all the other ingredients. Give a taste test and adjust with salt or more tamarind juice. Enjoy with Plain Idli

Carrot Idli with Eggplant Chutney

This idli is a variation of the plain idli-one of the most popular Indian breakfasts'. But one problem with making idli is, if you want to eat it today you need to start preparing for it since yesterday morning...not even previous evening. I guess, whatever you take so much time to make is bound to turn out to be delicious
              I made chutney with eggplant to go with it and the combination is just great

Carrot Idli (Indian steamed rice with carrot)

Carrot idli

Carrot Idli

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup urad dal (peeled black gram)
2. 2 cups rice (If possible do not use Basmati)
3. 1 cup finely shredded carrot
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 1 tablespoon oil divided

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 shredded carrot 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. My 1 yr old loves these

Brinjal Chutney (Ground eggplant accompaniment)

Brinjal Chutney

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium American eggplant sliced into 4 vertically
2. 1 small onion chopped
3. 1 green chilly
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, cumin
5. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
6. 1 tablespoon oil

Roast the eggplant at 300 for 10 minutes skin side down. Keep an eye on it, so that it won't burn
After it gets cool to handle, scrape the flesh of the eggplant
In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin for few minutes. Add onions and fry till tender. Add green chillies and fry a bit. Add eggplant flesh and salt and stir to combine. Let it cool and grind to a fine paste. Serve

Also try Peanut Chutney
        Ridge gourd Peel Chutney

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!!!