Kollu Idli

by Deerga // March 6, 2016 // No Comments

Today’s recipe is a new entrant to my healthy eats collections. One of the most popular breakfast dishes in south India is Idli. I would say there is no restaurant back home that does not have Idli in the menu. Normally, Idli is made from rice batter. The same batter can be used to make another popular breakfast item called the Dosa. The recipe that I have posted here is a type of Idli made from a batter prepared from Kollu (or horse gram in english) hence the recipe is called Kollu Idli. It is a healthy breakfast dish that is rich in essential nutrients.

Kollu Idli recipe was suggested to me by my cousin. Thank you, Chitthi! I have been looking for varieties from the usual breakfast dishes that we make and it’s good that this recipe came across. It served two purposes, one is that I finally found a way to make use of one of the least used pulses in my kitchen and the second was that I had found yet another healthy dish 🙂

Kollu Idli is very easy to make and it does not take much time to prepare the batter. You can have this idli with the chutneys that you normally have with regular idli. I would say Kollu Idli is tastier than regular idli and is very much filling too (because of the horse gram/Kollu). Try the Kollu Idli in your home and let me know your comments.

PS:- Check out my other dish made from Kollu here.

Kollu Idli

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 8 hours

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 8 hours 20 mins

Serves: 20 to 25 idlis

Ingredients

Idli rice – 3 cups
Kollu or horse gram dal – 1 cup
Salt as required

Instructions

Thoroughly wash the rice and dal together in running water (At least thrice).
Soak them with enough water overnight or for 8 to 10 hrs.
Grind them together in a grinder or blender for 20 to 25 minutes or until smooth and thick, sprinkling water in between if needed. If you are grinding for idli do not add too much water. Batter has to be thick.
Add enough salt and mix well. Ferment the batter like how you ferment normal idli/dosa batter.
Pour the batter on idli plates using ladle and pressure cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
Enjoy healthy and tasty kollu idli with milagai chutney or any other hot and spicy chutney of your choice. 

Sothi

by Deerga // August 19, 2015 // No Comments

There are so many different dishes in Tamilian cuisine that they can be categorized based on the locality. One such cuisine is that of Tirunelveli, whose dishes are very popular and known for their unique taste and recipes. Here I have given a very popular dish from Tirunelveli called as Sothi. I also learnt recently that it is a popular dish in Srilankan cuisine as well. Sothi is a coconut milk based dish that has a creamy texture (somewhat like alfredo sauce, texture only not the taste) and a mild taste.

Whenever I cook Sothi, my dear friend’s mom come to my mind because she is the one who taught me to cook this dish and she is from Tirunelveli (no wonder :)). She always prepares Sothi when we visit their home for holidays. Compared to many other dishes from Tirunelveli, the number of ingredients used to prepare this dish is less. Coconut milk is the main ingredient and that gives a richness and thick consistency to Sothi.

Sochi is a pretty heavy dish in the sense that you feel the fullness even when had in small servings. Back home, Sothi is the main accompaniment for Idiyappam (string hoppers) along with diluted coconut milk with sugar. It can also be had with rice along with any spicy curry like Crunchy cauliflower. Try this ethnic dish from Tirunelveli right in your home and let me know if you like it with Idiyappam or rice. FYI, I love to have it with both 🙂

Sothi

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 5

Ingredients

To grind:

Green chilli – 1
Ginger - 1 “

Other ingredients:

Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp
Garlic - 5 cloves
Onion, medium, finely chopped - 1 no
Green chilli, finely chopped – 2 nos
Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Drumstick - 1
Potato - 1
Beans-1
Carrot -1
Moong dal - 100 grams
Salt as required
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - for garnishing
Lemon juice- 1 spoon (optional)

Instructions

Grate the coconut and pulse them adding some water. Strain the milk using strainer. This is first (thick) milk. Add some water to the extracted coconut and pulse them again for couple of seconds and strain the milk. This is second (thin) milk. Repeat this process and extract third milk as well.
Pressure cook the dal for 1 whistle.
Grind ginger and chilli in a blender to a fine paste and keep it aside.
Chop all the vegetables and keep it ready.
In a kadai add a tsp of oil and season it with fenugreek seeds.
Add in onions, garlic and green chillies.
When the onions turn golden brown add the second and third extracted coconut milk.
Then add all the vegetables and bring them to boil. I used drumstick and carrots today. I added drumstick first as it takes lots of time to cook. After 10 minutes I added carrots.
Add the cooked dal to the vegetables and again bring it to boil.
Now add the ground mixture (ginger and chillies) along with salt.
When the gravy becomes thick, add cumin and coriander leaves.
When the mixture comes to boil for the last time add the first extracted coconut milk to it and immediately switch off the stove.
You can sprinkle lemon juice after 10 minutes(optional).

Idiyappam Sevai

by Deerga // April 26, 2015 // No Comments

Idiyappam is an ancient tamil dish (also popular in South Indian cuisine) made from rice flour, salt and water. It is also called as noolputt in Malayalam, Semige in Kannada and String Hoppers in English. There is a special tool to make Idiyappam which squeezes the dough (mixture of rice, salt and water) in to strings which is then steam cooked (usually a pressure cooker is used back home). Idiyappam Sevai is a dish that is made from Idiyappam and is usually served for breakfast or as a tiffin item.

Normally, I am not a big fan of Idiyappam, especially the sweeter variety that is had with coconut milk. So my mom used to make Idiyappam Sevai to satisfy my highly selective appetite 🙂 Similar to the days when Upma is had in our home (I don’t like Upma as well ;)), my mom used to make Idiyappam Sevai just for me. I love Idiyappam Sevai very much and it is super easy to make. You only use 5 ingredients to prepare this dish. Idiyappam can be had as is or with some chutney variety like coconut, onion etc.
Try this ancient, wonderful and easy to prepare dish in your home and let me know your experience.

Idiyappam Sevai

Recipe type: Breakfast or Tiffin

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Oil – 1 tbsp
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – very few
Onion, medium, finely chopped – 1 no
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Tomato, finely chopped – 1 no
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Salt as required
Idiyappam (string hoppers), crumbled – 5 nos

Instructions

Heat oil in a wide pan and season with fennel seeds and curry leaves.
Add onion and sauté until they turn translucent.
Add ginger garlic paste and sauté until the raw aroma disappears.
Add chopped tomato and cook until oil they turn mushy.
Add in red chilli powder and salt and cook until oil seperates.
Finally add string hoppers, mix well and cook for a minute. Enjoy!

KADALAI PARUPPU CHUTNEY

by Deerga // August 3, 2014 // No Comments

Kadalai Paruppu chutney or chana dal chutney is a popular side dish to idli and dosa in south Indian homes. It is my HB’s favorite chutney. I normally prefer onion chutney but do try other varieties as well. During my recent visit to India, my MIL prepared Kadalai Paruppu chutney and after having it, I realized how much I missed it. And now, it has joined to my list of chutneys to go for when there is a time constraint 🙂 Kadalai Paruppu chutney, though is had with idli and dosa, it really goes well with idli. It is easy to make and tasty as well. Kadalai Paruppu chutney with idli, podi and gingely oil is a combination that has to be tried at least once :). As I had mentioned above, even though it is popular in South Indian homes, I have never seen it served in restaurants!? (or I might not have recognized it when served ;)) The main ingredient in Kadalai Paruppu chutney, as the name suggests, is kadalai paruppu. As with all other tasty dishes, there is a slight drawback to this chutney as well, i.e., fat. Kadalai paruppu is one of the grams that is used to extract oil and hence the fat content. However, having tasty chutneys once in a while is a welcome relief to otherwise mundane dishes, what say? Do try this recipe in your home and share your thoughts.

KADALAI PARUPPU CHUTNEY | CHANA DAL CHUTNEY

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Oil – ½ tbsp
Chana dal or kadalai paruppu – 2 tbsp
Shallots – 3 nos
Red chilli – 2 nos
Tomato – 1 no
Grated coconut – 1 tbsp
Salt as required

To temper:

Oil- ½ tbsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Urad dal – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 5 nos

Instructions

Heat a flat pan with oil and add chana dal (kadalai paruppu). Stir for a minute and add roughly chopped shallots. Sauté well and add red chilli and chopped tomato.
Add salt and sauté for couple of minutes.
Allow them to cool and blend it along with grated coconut.
Transfer the kadalai paruppu chutney to a serving bowl and do the seasoning. Enjoy it with hot idlis along with idli podi on the side!

Notes

Do not fry the chana dal for so long. Add onions before the chana dal turn brown. The right state is when the chana dal turns white around the corners.

CHANNA MASALA / CHANNA / CHOLE

by Deerga // April 13, 2014 // No Comments

Channa or Channa Masala is a very popular north Indian dish made from chick peas. You can find Channa Masala in almost all Indian restaurants, north Indian or south Indian. Channa is a very good source of protein and when cooked as a gravy it tastes yummy. In fact, it is one of my HB’s favorite dishes. We never fail to make Channa Masala at least once every two weeks.
The main step in preparing Channa Masala is the amount of time that you soak the chick peas in water before cooking. The more it is soaked, the faster it gets cooked. As I said above, it is a good source of protein and I heard from my HB that back in India, he and his friends used leave Channa soaked in water overnight and have a handful before hitting the gym, sort of like an energy booster. There is also a black chickpea called as Kondaikadalai in my native tongue that can be cooked similar to Channa Masala. I have given the recipe for that here . There are days when we cook Channa without any masala, i.e., not in a gravy form and have it for dinner. This type is called a Sundal in Tamil. It is a popular Prashadam dish in temples back home.
Channa Masala is a very good side dish for Chappati, Bhature (Channa Bhature is another popular north Indian dish), Poori and rice as well. And here is the recipe for Channa Masala. Try it in your home and as always comment on your experience and thoughts 🙂

CHANNA / CHOLE

Recipe type: Lunch|Dinner

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Cooking or vegetable oil – 1 tbs
Cinnamon stick – 1 (2 inch)
Cardamom – 3
Cloves – 2
Bay leaf – 1
Cumin seeds – 1 tbs
Onion – 1
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Ginger & Garlic paste – 1 tbs
Green chillies, finely chopped – 1 no
Channa masala – 1 ½ tbs
Channa or chickpeas – 1 cup
Lemon juice – 1 tbs
Salt as required
Coriander leaves – for garnishing

to make puree

Tomato - 1 no
green chilli - 1 no

Instructions

Soak the channa/chickpeas overnight or for 8 hours.
Pressure cook the channa with little water and a tsp of salt for 3 whistles - It should be cooked in such a way that you could smash the channa by your thumb and index fingers.
Make a puree of tomato and green chilli in a blender and set aside.
Heat a wide pan with a tbs of oil, add the whole spices mentioned above followed by cumin seeds.
When cumin seeds start to splutter, add chopped onion and fry till they are softened and become translucent.
Add turmeric powder and ginger-garlic paste. Sauté until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic disappears.
Add the tomato puree and chopped green chilli. Saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring in between.
Add channa masala powder and little salt . Mix well and saute until oil seperates.
Add the cooked masala into boiled channa, mix well and pressure cook for another 2 whistles.
Sprinkle few drops of lemon juice on top and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot channa masala with pooris, chapattis or steamed rice accompanied with lemon & onion slices.

ADAI

by Deerga // April 13, 2014 // No Comments

Adai is a dosa like dish synonymous to Tamilnadu (specifically from Chettinad cuisine, I believe) and is made using different varieties of Dal (Moong, Urad and Channa). It is a very healthy dish and usually eaten for breakfast and sometimes for dinner. I started making Adai mainly as an alternative to dosa. For dosa, as you know, the main ingredient to make the batter is rice and rice is rich in carbohydrates which in turn is one of the contributing factors in weight gain (if the intake is often, of course).
My HB is very health conscious (and that has rubbed off on me as well, sometimes ;)) and so I started my search for a healthy and easy alternative for the usual fares that we have at our home. Then I came across this Adai from the web and found it to be the perfect alternative. Making the Adai batter does not involve fermentation. So the entire process of preparing the batter to cooking Adai is very quick. Also, you don’t need a grinder to prepare the batter. A blender will suffice.
In our home, we normally have Adai with coconut chutney but by making the batter a little bit spicy (described in the cooking instructions below), you can have Adai without a side dish (how awesome is that!). In restaurants, Adai is often served with butter and Avial (another south Indian dish for which I will post the recipe sometime soon).
So try this very healthy and easy to make Adai in your home and let me know your comments.

ADAI

Recipe type: Breakfast/Dinner

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 2 mins

Total time: 7 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

Toor dal - ¼cup
Moong dal -1/4 cup
Urad dal - ½ cup
Idli Rice or Raw Rice - ½ cup
Whole Red chillies - 6
Salt-as per taste
Shallots(small onions) – 2 (chopped)
Hing - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tbs
Chopped Coriander leaves – ¼ cup
Water as required
Oil required to smear around adais

Instructions

Wash and soak urad dal, moong dal, toor dal and rice together in water for 4 hours.
Grind the soaked dals and rice, along with half a tsp cumin seeds, whole red chilli, salt and hing together until smooth. - like dosa batter.
To the ground adai batter add chopped shallots, coriander leaves and little water.
Mix well the batter, the consistency should be similar to dosa batter. Set aside the adai batter to rest for atleast 30 mins.
Heat a dosa tawa, add a ladle full of adai batter to the center of tawa and start spreading the batter from center in circular motion like making dosa or pancakes.
Smear 1 tsp oil around adai and cook on medium heat until both sides of adai are golden brown and crisp.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 2 to 3