curry leaves Archives - MyEdibleCravings

Here is yet another variant of one of the most popular south indian dish, Idli. However, the recipe I have posted here is simple yet tasty. It is made from Milagai Podi or Idli Podi or just Podi, a popular condiment usually had with idli and dosa, called Podi Idli. Podi literally means coarse powder in Tamil. In India, it is popular in Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh where it is also called as gun powder because of the spiciness 🙂 Idli podi is somewhat similar to mustard back here, I mean not the texture but the selectiveness in their usage. When you have Podi, you don’t have to worry about any other chutney or side dish for Idli and Dosa; having just them tastes awesome.

I love my grandma’s idli podi recipe the most and then my Mom’s. The Podi I have used in the Podi Idli recipe here is my Mom’s. There are so many varieties of Podi like Milagai Podi, Ellu Podi (made from sesame seeds), Paruppu podi etc and the interesting part is each of these serve as an accompaniment to a particular main dish 🙂 I have used both black and white sesame seeds to prepare the Idli Podi. Make sure to grind it to a coarse texture since the coarse particles brings out the flavor and adds crunchiness much more than the fine grained powder.

I always prefer having Idli Podi with whatever chutney I make 🙂 This has been my preference since childhood and I used to get an earful from my Mom for that (and still do sometimes) :). Podi Idli is a filling dish and is very easy to make. All you need is an awesome Idli podi and soft idlis. My MIB is a big fan of this recipe 🙂 I have not added onions and green chillis to the recipe since it might then taste similar to another variety of Idli called the Idli Upma (I will post the recipe soon). Podi Idli can be had for breakfast, dinner or just as an appetizer. Try this easy dish in your home and let me know when you would prefer to have it? 🙂

Podi Idli

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 20 mini idlis

Ingredients

To make idli podi

Whole urad dal - 1 cup
Red chilli - 10 to 12 nos
Sesame seed - ½ cup
Garlic cloves, big - 2 nos + 1 medium
Curry leaves - half a sprig
Salt - 1 tsp

To make podi idli

Idli batter -
Oil - ½ to 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
Urad dal - ½ tsp
Curry leaves - ½ a sprig
Idli podi - 2 tbsp

Instructions

Heat a pan in a medium flame and dry roast urad dal until aroma spreads for couple of minutes. Transfer to a plate and let it cool.
Next dry roast red chilli and garlic seperately until they turn crisp and transfer to the plate.
In the same pan dry roast sesame seeds until it splutters for about a minute. Transfer to a separate plate and let it cool.
Turn off the heat and dry roast curry leaves until they turn crispy.
Pulse urad dal, curry leaves and red chilli twice. Add sesame seed, garlic and salt and blend for few seconds to a coarse powder.
Now pour idli batter in mini idli plates and steam cook for 15 minutes.
scoop out all the idlis and immediately (when the idlis are still hot) add a tbsp of idli podi and roughly toss them.
Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard, urad dal and curry leaves.
Add the tossed idlis to the seasoning along with a tbsp of idli podi. Covet the lid, hold two sides of the pan and carefully toss them for few seconds.
Turn off the heat and serve tasty and spicy podi idli with sambar and chutney or serve as is. Enjoy! 🙂

Today’s recipe is a continuation of my resolution to post healthy recipes as much as I can, going forward. Beetroot Quinoa is a dish made from a well known legume, beetroot and a not so common grain variety called the Quinoa. Like I had described in one of my earlier posts, Quinoa is a South American grain crop well known for its edible seeds. Quinoa is a super food that is rich in calories and easily digestible. Beetroot, as you may all know, is a very good source of iron and vitamins.

Beetroot Quinoa is a very easy dish to make. It literally takes 15 minutes to prepare. Also, with the way it’s made, you can either have Beetroot Quinoa as is or have the cooked beetroot only with rice. Beetroot Quinoa is a cold food and can be retained by refrigeration, making it the go-to food for bachelors and single ladies that is if you want to have healthy food, if not there is always pasta and noodles :). Also, it is a very good menu for lunch box, especially for kids 🙂

For those who worry about getting Quinoa back home, no worries, Quinoa is quite popular there and is called as (Seemai Thinai, literally known as foreign grain 🙂 ). Don’t miss out trying this truly healthy food which I believe will be a good alternative to have once in a while amongst the mundane dishes that we have often.

Beetroot Quinoa

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Olive oil or cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Urad dal – ¼ tsp
Curry leaves – half sprig
Onion, finely chopped – 1 no
Green chilli, finely chopped – 2 nos
Beetroot, medium, grated – 1 cup
Quinoa – 1 cup
Salt as required

Instructions

Wash and drain quinoa using strainer. Pressure cook for 3 whistles adding 1 ½ cups water and enough salt.
Heat a pan and add oil. Season with mustard seeds and urad dal.
Add finely chopped onions and sauté until they turn translucent.
Add chopped green chilli, and curry leaves. Give a quick stir.
Now add in finely grated beetroot. Add enough salt and sauté well. Drizzle few drops of water (2 tbsp) on top, cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes.
Open the lid and sauté until all the water is absorbed. you can have this as a side or poriyal.
Finally add cooked quinoa and mix well. Enjoy the yummy beetroot quinoa with papad! 

Notes

you can substitute quinoa and add rice instead.i.e beetroot rice.