Masala Oats Ravva Idli

There is the recipe for Ravva Idli . And there is the recipe for oats idli. But the idli I made today is with the instant oats and samolina. I got a big pack of 500 gms of the instant masala oats, so it was easy for me to measure 1 cup out of it. But if you have those individual packets, I am not sure how many you would need. But the idlis were soft and delicious.

Masala Oats Ravva Idli

Masala Oats Ravva idli

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup masala oats
2. 1/2 cup ravva or sooji fine samolina
3. 1 tablespoons+ extra oil for basting the idli moulds
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin and mustard seeds
5. 1 teaspoon baking soda or Eno Fruit salt
6. 1 teaspoon Chana dal soaked in water for 10 minutes
7. 1/2 cup plain yogurt
8. 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
9. 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped ginger, green chillies and cilantro, cashew
10. 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
11. 1 tablespoon each of grated carrot, beetroot, cabbage

In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin, mustard seeds, few curry and fry for a minute. Add cashew and fry for a minute. Add Chana Dal and all the veggies and fry for 5 more minutes. Add soji and fry/roast for 5-7 minutes.

In a bowl mix the yogurt with lemon juice. Add the masala oats and sooji to the yogurt and set aside for 15 minutes. Add baking soda or eno fruit salt and add more water to get the consistency of a thick pan cake batter.


Prepare the idli pans by applying oil with a finger. Add a tablespoon of batter. Stream in a cooker for 15-17 minutes. Let the steam escape and cool for a minute before taking the idlis off the pan. Enjoy with your favorite chutney or curry leaf powder

Ravva Idli

Vegetable Upma

The other day I got a heat and eat package of masala upma from the Indian store and man...that was good. I was no big fan of Upma in my childhood. I would cry every time Upma was made for breakfast in my house. But then...I married a man whose favorite breakfast is Upma. I couldn't believe it. For quite a number of years of my marriage, I would make upma my the man but I would eat something else...enter the kids. The second of the kids who is more like me than the other liked upma...AGHAST I couldn't believe it :(

But year after year, Upma's taste grew on me and now atleast I will eat it 50 % of the time. But I finally found the recipe I would like..love may be...we will see. But the point is, this vegetable upma was super delicious. Everyone should try it

Vegetable Upma (Wheat semolina with vegetables)

Vegetable Upma

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup upma ravva (coarse semolina)
2. 1 tablespoon or more cashew
3.  1/4 cup each of finely sliced potatoes, cabbage, carrots, peas and green beans
4. 1 tablespoon oil
5. 1 teaspoon clarified butter
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, urad dal, chana dal (soaked in water for 10 minutes), mustard seeds, grated ginger, turmeric
7. 1 teaspoon salt 
8. 2 dried red chillies
9. 2 green chillies
10. few curry leaves
11. 1/2 cup juice from a small lime sized tamarind

In a pan dry roast the upma ravva and set aside.

In  a pan heat the oil and ghee and add the cumin, urad dal, chana dal, mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves and cashew and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the green chillies and ginger with all other vegetables and fry for 5 minutes covered. Add turmeric and stir to combine. Add the tamarind juice and 1.5 cup more water and salt and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat and add the semolina and stir well. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes . Garnish with cilantro and serve

Other Upma Recipes

• Semiyah Upma
• Puffed rice upma
• Kaaju Upma

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 

CornMeal idli

I have been really busy lately and haven' been blogging here. But today I made a point that I will make a dish and blog it.

I was searching for Indian breakfast recipes and I found this recipe for cornmeal idli and since I had soon meal I made it. And I loved them and my little one also liked it. I only difference I did was I had blue cornmeal on hand and not the regular yellow corn meal. This blue corn meal is from a trip to Albuquerque

Corn Meal Idli

Ingredients
Cornmeal - 2 cups
Sour Yogurt - 2 cups
Carrot - 1 (grated)
Cilantro - handful (finely chopped)
Curry Leaves - 1 strand (finely chopped)
Water - as needed for batter
Oil- 2 tblsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Channa dal- 1 tsp

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and channa dal.
2. Add the corn meal to this and roast it for few minutes. This step is optional but gives a nice nutty flavour. If you are in a hurry, skip this step.
3. Swith off and add grated carrot, chopped curry leaves, cilantro, yogurt and required salt.
4. Mix well and let this rest for 10-15 minutes.
5. Add water to bring it to the right consistency for making idlis or dosas.
6. Add a pinch of baking soda to the above batter and mix nicely. Steam them in idli plates for 15 minutes.
 

Mint Idli

Mint Idli (Mint flavored steamed Lentil Dumplings)

Mint Idli

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup urad dal (peeled black gram)
2. 2 cups rice (If possible do not use Basmati)
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 2 cup mint leaves
5. 1/2 teaspoon oil, cumin
6. 1 green chilly
7. 1 inch ginger (optional)

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 a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin till they splutter. Add the green chilly and ginger and the mint leaves and fry covered  for 5-7 minutes. Let it cool and grind it to a smooth paste. Add it to the batter


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.