Kala Chana and Ragi Soup

 Kala Chana and Ragi Soup (Desi Style)

This soup is wholesome, healthy and delicious .. 

I have added coconut milk for enhancing the flavour (optional). Ragi is added not only to thicken  up the soup, but it is also  healthy and has high nutritional values. 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup boiled Kala Chana / Black Chickpeas 

3 tbsp Ragi / Nachni flour 

1 small Onion finely chopped 

1 small Tomato finely chopped 

1 Green Chilli finely chopped 

5 to 6 Garlic cloves finely chopped 

1 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves 

1 tsp Roasted Cumin powder 

Lemon wedges for serving 

Salt to taste 

3/4 cup Coconut Milk (optional)

1 tbsp Ghee 

Method 

Coarsely grind the Kala chana without water. Take out a tbsp of the coarsely grounded Kala Chana and keep it aside for garnishing. Add 2 cups of water In the rest of the ground Chana. Take a pot, add ghee, once the ghee melts, add the garlic and onion. Sauté until translucent, add the tomato and green chilli, sauté for a minute, add the ragi flour and continue to sauté for another minute. Add salt and roasted cumin powder. Stir all the ingredients. Now add the ground Chana with water and constantly stir the soup as no lumps should form. On a low heat let the soup cook, until the soup has thickened up a bit. Add the coconut milk and continue to simmer for few seconds. Switch off the flame. Garnish with some coarsely ground chana, coriander leaves and serve the soup hot, squeeze some lime juice before having the soup. 

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Home Style Spicy Chicken and Veggie Stewed Noodles

Summers are really hot and entering the kitchen is like a punishment... I love to cook one pot meal or something really quick in summers.  Here is a brunch dish which is very easy to make, wholesome and tasty.. any vegetables like mushrooms, zucchini, baby corn, carrots, coloured capsicums can be added. 

Instead of chicken, tofu. sprouted mung beans or prawn can be used. 

Ingredients 

1 Packet of Hakka Noodles 

Few pieces of boneless Chicken cut into small cubes 

1 or 2 Boiled Eggs cut into halves 

1 medium size Onion cut into cubes 

1 medium size Tomato, seeds discarded cut into cubes 

2 to 3 Mushrooms cut into halves 

4 to 5 Green Chillies slit into halves 

3 to 4 medium size Garlic cloves chopped 

1 small piece of ginger grated 

Few chopped garlic leaves or spring onion leaves 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Pepper powder 

1 1/2 cup Chicken or Vegetable Stock 

1 tbsp Soya Sauce

2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup 

1 tbsp Red Chilli Sauce 

1 tbsp Sesame Oil 

Ingredients 

Take a pot, add oil, add the chopped garlic and grated ginger , sauté for few seconds. Add the chicken cubes and sprinkle some salt, stir and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, add the vegetables - mushrooms, onion, tomato and green chillies. Stir and sauté for a minute on full flame. Add 1 cup of water, let the water simmer, add the pepper powder, soya sauce, tomato ketchup and chilli sauce. Add the chicken stock. Break the haka noodles into 3 parts, add the Hakka noodles in the simmering  liquid, let the noodles cook until it’s soft, Switch off the flame, before serving garnish it with garlic leaves or spring onion leaves and eggs. 

Chicken with Veggies Lemon Coriander Soup

 

Not feeling well, seasonal changes can some times make you sick, no problem enjoy this hot homemade soup that will enhance the taste buds and at the same time it’s healthy. 

For vegetarian’s - exclude the chicken and add the vegetable stock. Directly sauté the vegetables for few seconds. 

Ingredients 

1 small chunk of Boneless Chicken cut into thin strips 

1/4 cup of mix vegetables finely chopped - Carrot, Beans, any colour Capsicum, Ginger, Garlic, Green Chilli and onion 

Few stems of coriander along with the leaves chopped finely

Juice of 1/2 Lemon or more as per the taste 

Salt to taste 

1/2 cup Rice Flour slurry - 6 tbsp of rice flour mixed in water 

1/2 Chicken Stock cube 

1/4 tsp Pepper Powder or as much required 

1/2 tsp Soy Sauce 

1 tsp Sesame Oil

Method 

In a pot add the sesame oil, add the chicken strips and sauté until the chicken changes its colour. Add 1/2 cup water along with the chicken cube. Boil the chicken for 5 minutes. Except for the coriander and lemon, add all the vegetables and 1 1/2 cup of water. Let the vegetables cook for a minute on high flame. Add salt and pepper. Stir and add the rice slurry, lemon juice, soy sauce and coriander leaves. Stir and let the soup cook simmer until it thickens. Garnish the soup with pepper powder. Serve it hot. 

Vali Bhaji / Mayalu Pannache Koshimbir

Malabar Spinach Salad / Koshimbir 

Supriya, my fb friend had posted her mom’s recipe of Mulangi Pannache koshimbir (Raddish leaves Salad) on her page Mom’s Kitchen to Mine... I instantly felt in love with the recipe... I had lots of Vali bhaji growing in my balcony. Wanted to give it a try with Vali Baji and voila!

It was delicious. Radish leaves would taste a bit different due to the pungent peppery taste of the leaves, but enjoyed this salad too. Simple recipes are always delicious. 

I followed the recipe.. Wash the leaves thoroughly... and then cut it. Sprinkle little salt and leave the leaves for 10 minutes... wash it again and then add the other ingredients. 

I used desiccated coconut but would prefer fresh coconut.

Ingredients 

10 to 12 medium size Malabar Spinach Leaves cut into fine strips 

1 Green Chilli chopped

1 tsp Lime juice 

Salt to taste

1 tsp Sugar

1 to 2 tbsp Fresh Coconut grated or Desiccated Coconut 

2 tbsp Roasted Peanuts crushed

Method 

Take a bowl, add the Malabar spinach leaves, green chilli, salt to taste, sugar and lime juice. Mix well. Now add the coconut and peanuts and toss well. Serve it immediately. 

Healthy Whole Wheat Bread Loaf

Basic Healthy Bread can be made with ingredients that are easily available in your kitchen. One key ingredient Whole wheat flour is always there in your kitchen pantry. Yeast can be made at home too if time permits, or else dry yeast is easily available in shops. It’s more healthy when you bake a bread at home. Do try this recipe and enjoy this bread with jam or Chutney.

Ingredients

4 cups + 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 cup Oats

1 tsp + 1 tsp Mix Seeds (Sunflower, Watermelon, Flaxseed, Sesame, Pumpkin Seeds)

1/2 tsp Chia Seeds

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 cup Lukewarm Water

1 tbsp Dry Active Yeast

2 tsp Honey

1 cup of Water

2 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Milk + 1/2 tsp Honey 

Method 

Take the honey and mix it with the lukewarm water, mix the yeast little at a time into the lukewarm water. Leave the yeast to rise. Mix all the dry ingredients together, except for 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 1 tsp of mix seeds. Add the yeast water, mix the ingredients well, add a cup of water, mix and knead the ingredients into a dough. At this point the dough is a bit sticky. Add a tbsp of oil and knead it. Cover the bowl and leave it aside for 2 hours. After 2 hours, open the lid. Add the remaining flour little at a time and knead the dough. Take the dough on to a flat surface. Add oil, knead and roll the dough into a long cylindrical shape. Place the cylindrical dough into the greased bread loaf mould. Cover and let it proof for an hour. Meanwhile preheat the oven at 190 degrees. Brush Milk + Honey on the bread and sprinkle some mix seeds on the bread. Bake the bread at 190’ degrees celsius for approximately 25 - 30 minutes. Every oven temperature differs, so please adjust the time accordingly. Once done, remove the bread. Let the bread cool down for 10 minutes, remove the bread and let it cool on a cooling rack. Slice the bread once completely cool. 

Easy Grilled Chicken

An easy delicious chicken recipe... that can be enjoyed as starter... Grilled chicken can also be served with sautéed vegetables. Chicken can be substituted with fish, prawns or paneer. 

Ingredients
250 grams Boneless Chicken cut into big pieces 

Juice of 3/4 lime

1 tsp Garlic powder 

1 tsp Dried Mixed Herbs 

¼ - 1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes 

Salt or Pink Salt to taste 

2 tbsp Melted Butter 

Method 

Marinate the chicken with all the above ingredients for an hour. Take a grill pan, let it heat. Grill the chicken pieces on a low flame until cooked and golden brown on both the sides. Remove the chicken pieces from the grill and cut the chicken into smaller pieces. Drizzle the juice on the chicken that was left on the grill. Serve it hot. 

Instant Vegetable Idli with Oats and Semolina

This is a very quick and healthy breakfast or snacks recipe that can be served for the children in their lunch boxes too. 

Ingredients 

3/4 cup Rice Flour 

1 cup Fine Semolina 

1 cup Oats

Half medium size Carrot Grated 

Half medium size Beet root Grated 

1/2 cup Curd 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Eno 

1 cup or more Water

Method 

Take a bowl, add rice flour, oats, semolina, salt, grated vegetables and curd. Mix all the ingredients, gradually add water and mix the ingredients until it’s a thick dropping consistency. Keep the batter for 15 minutes, add the eno and mix it gently once more. Pour in the batter in the  greased idli mould. Steam the idlis for 20 minutes until they are cooked. Remove the idli mould from the steamer and wait for 5 minutes till the idlis have cooled a bit. Remove the idlis from the mould and serve the healthy idlis with a chutney of your choice. 

Kalo Jam Makha (Jamun / Black Plum Mashed)

This recipe takes me back to my childhood days. Every year as a little kid, religiously every summer my mother and myself would visit my Uncle’s place (Mamar Bari) in Kolkata. Across my Uncle’s house there was a big Kalo Jam tree that use to be loaded with Kalo Jam which belonged to a family staying there. Every afternoon after our lunch affair was over, I use to visit their house to play with their 3 girls and eat Kalo Jam Makha. It was fun collecting the Kalo Jams. It’s a rustic dish but so delicious and mouthwatering. We also make this similar dish with raw mangoes. Peel the raw mango, cut it into cubes, add all the same ingredients give below, also add red chilli powder, sugar and Kashundi. Crush the mango in a mortar. I really feel sad that these simple rustic recipes are getting extinct with our new generation. I am sure all of us will have some stories to share of such dishes. 

Ingredients 

15 to 20 Kalo Jam / Jambun / Black plums

2 or more Green Chillies chopped 

Salt to taste or black salt and salt mix

1/2  tsp Mustard oil

Method 

Take all the above ingredients and mash it well. You can mash it with a help of a spoon, but best to use your fingers. 

It’s simply divine. 

Mustard oil is optional, but I love it with mustard oil as it enhances the taste. 

Singju

Singju is a very healthy popular Manipuri salad and is eaten mostly as snacks. Singju can be made with various types of vegetables, leafy vegetables and herbs. Some of the herbs are locally found only in Manipur.
Cabbage, lotus stem, coriander leaves, spring onion, onion, stink bean, cauliflower, raw papaya, banana flower are some of the vegetables used for making singju.
There is vegetarian version and the other is the non - vegetarian, one where the fermented fish is added.
I learnt this recipe from a lady who belongs to the Kuki tribe in Manipur. There are many ways each one makes singju. This is her version. She used cabbage, onion, coriander leaves and boiled white peas with crushed roasted chillies and salt.
Here I have add lotus stem, roasted perilla seeds (Bhangira / Bhangjeera) power with Pink salt and roasted chickpea powder in addition to the above ingredients.

Ingredients
1 cup of Cabbage cut into thin slices
Few slices of Lotus Stem
1 small Onion sliced
1/2 cup of White Peas boiled
2 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
1 tbsp Roasted Chickpea powder
2 Roasted Red chillies crushed or as per the spiciness you like
1/2 tsp Roasted Perilla seed powder with Pink Salt
Add salt if required

Method
Take a bowl, add the cabbage, lotus stem, onion, boiled white peas, roasted chickpeas powder, roasted crushed chillies and roasted perilla seeds powder with pink salt. Mix all the ingredients together. Add the coriander leaves and mix the ingredients together. Serve it immediately.

Aloo r Chop in an Appe Pan / Potato Fritters Bengali Style made in an Appe Pan

Aloor Chop is a famous street food of Kolkata. It is found in any Tele Bhaja shop (Shop which sales fried food) in any corner of the street. It is normally had in the evening with garm... garm.. chai ( hot... hot.... tea) and served with Muri (Puffed Rice). Today I have made these aloo r chops in an appe pan using very less oil.

Ingredients 

2 medium size Potatoes boiled and mashed

2 Green chillies chopped

1/4 tsp Ginger paste 

1 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped 

1/2 cup Gram Flour 

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp Carom seeds 

2 pinches of Soda Bicarbonate 

1 tsp Bhaja Masala 

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Mustard Oil

Method
Take the boiled potatoes in a bowl, add ginger, chillies, coriander leaves, Bhaja Masala and salt. Mix the ingredients well. Keep it aside. Take a mixing bowl with gram flour in it, add the salt and turmeric powder, mix the ingredients together, add the soda bicarbonate, mix it. Add the carom seeds, mix it. Now add little water at a time and mix the ingredients together into a thick smooth batter. Take the appe pan, add 1/4 tsp of oil into each cavity. Heat the oil. Now dip a potato ball in the batter and place it into the appe pan cavity. Repeat the process. Cover the appe pan and let it cook for 2 minutes. Open the pan, check the chop, turn the chop and continue to cook until golden brown from both the sides. Serve hot with Muri (Puffed Rice).

Squid and Vegetables Sautéed in Butter - Red Chilli Flakes - Garlic

When you grow your own vegetables, its sheer happiness. My husband grew some spinach at home. I have used some of the baby spinach in this dish. This is a healthy sautéed non vegetarian dish with the flavour of butter and seasoned with red chilli flakes and garlic. The dish looks colourful, it’s simple and delicious too.
Ingredients
8 medium size Squids cut into strips
1 medium size Sweet Potatoe cut into stripes
1 packet of Baby Corn cut into half lengthwise
1 packet of Mushrooms cut into 4 halves
6 Cherry Tomatoes whole
12 Garlic Cloves whole
10 to 12 Whole Baby Spinach
1/2 Lime
Himalayan Rock Salt or Normal Salt to taste
1 tsp Red Chilli Flakes
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
Juice of the marinated Squid
2 1/2 tsp Butter

Method
Take the squids in a bowl, drizzle lime juice, rock salt, garlic powder and 1/2 tsp chilli flakes. Mix it well. Keep it aside. Take a saucepan or a pot. Add 2 cups of water. Add the sweet potatoe strips and let it boil. Meanwhile take a pan, add a tsp of butter, let it melt. Add the squids and sauté it until it’s cooked. Meanwhile when the sweet potato strips are tender then strain the water out from the sweet potato. Once the squids are cooked remove the squids out from the pan. In the same pan, add 1 tsp butter. Let it melt, add the sweet potato strips and continue to sauté for a minute. Add the baby corns and sauté for another minute. Add the whole garlic and continue to sauté. Add the mushrooms. Stir and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the marinated juice, rock salt, remaining chilli flakes and 1/2 tsp butter, let it sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and stir. Add the baby spinach and sauté for another minute. Switch off the flame. Now add the sautéed squids and serve it hot. 

Asian Style Steamed Pomfrets in Banana Leaves

This steamed pomfrets are healthy as no oil is added to the dish. I have used Asian herbs and spices for the paste. It gives a strong flavour and aroma to the dish. Serve this dish with hot steamed rice. 

For the Paste

Ingredients 

• 1 small Onion cut into pieces 
• 1 small piece of Ginger 
• 6 Garlic Cloves 
• 2 Red Dried Chillies 
• 2 Fresh Red Chillies or 1 tbsp Pickled Chillies 
• 1/4 cup Coriander Leaves chopped 
• 2 Lime Leaves 
• 1 Lemongrass stalk
• 1 tsp Shrimp paste
• Salt to taste 

Method 

Grind all the above ingredients into a paste.

For the Steamed Pomfrets 

Ingredients 

• 2 Whole Pomfrets cleaned, slit and marinated with salt 
• Ground paste
• 2 Banana Leaves cut into medium size pieces and washed
• String 

Method 

Apply the paste on the Pomfrets. Let it marinate for 30 minutes. Take 2 to 3 pieces of the banana leaves and arrange them. Place the pomfret along with the marination on the banana leaves and wrap the banana leaves from all the sides. Tie it with a string. Take a steamer. Place the packed pomfrets into the steamer and steam the pomfrets for 20 minutes. Before eating cut open the strings, open up the banana leaves and serve it hot with steamed rice. 

Almond and Whole Wheat Orange Cookies

These orange flavoured cookies are home made and healthy too. Make them for your friends and family in a day advance and enjoy them with a hot cup of tea. You can add orange colour to the cookies but I don’t prefer adding any artificial colour. As you bite into the cookie and chew it, suddenly you get a strong flavour of the orange and that is due to the orange peel that has been added in the cookie dough while kneading. Please note that the white side of the orange peel should be scraped and removed before chopping or else it may give the cookies a bitter taste. 

Ingredients 

2 1/4 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup Almond Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder 

1/4 cup Orange Juice

1/2 tsp Orange Essence 

1 tsp Orange Peel chopped 

1 cup Butter 

1 cup Powder Sugar 

Method 

Take a mixing bowl. Sieve the whole wheat flour, almond flour and baking powder together. Take butter and sugar together in another bowl. Beat it well, till fluffy. Add the essence and orange juice. Beat it once more. Add the flour and mix it well. Now knead the ingredients all together to form a dough. Add the orange peel and knead it once more. Take half of the dough and roll the dough into 1/4 inch thick sheet. Cut the desire shapes with the help of a cookie cutter and place the cookies on a baking tray at little distance. With a help of a fork press the top of the cookies to get some impression. Bake it at 170 to 180 degree celsius for 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove it from the oven and let it cool in the same baking tray. After it cools down, remove it from the baking tray and further coo it down. Keep it in a air tight container and enjoy the cookies. 

Eggless Beetroot Brownie...

This is my daughter's one of the favorite dish. Very often there is a request to make it.

 It's an ideal lunchbox recipe for children or a tea - time snack recipe.

 I have used Whole Wheat Flour, Almond Flour along with All Purpose Flour. I have added fresh Beetroot juice to the batter. That makes it a bit healthy.

Ingredients

3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 cup Almond Flour

1/4 cup All Purpose Flour

1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

2 tbsp Walnut chopped

1 tsp Baking powder

1/3 cup Caster Sugar

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 cup Beetroot Juice

1/4 cup Curd

1/4 cup Oil or Melted Butter

Method

Line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper and keep it aside. Mix the whole wheat flour, almond flour, all pupose flour, baking powder and salt together. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave and stir it till the chocolate chips melts properly. Take a mixing bowl, add the melted chocolate and oil. Whisk it. Add the brown and caster sugar. Whisk it till the sugar dissolves properly. Add the curd and whisk it once again. Add half of the flour and half of the beetroot juice. Whisk it well, now add the remaining flour and juice. Whisk it once again. Pour the batter into the pan, sprinkle chopped walnuts on top.

Bake it for 30 to 35 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius. When done,insert a tooth pick to check. It should come out clean. Cool it for 15 minutes, before removing the brownies from the pan. Cut into pieces and serve.

Baked Dosa Sandwich...

This a healthy breakfast or snack made out of a dosa batter with vegetables. Some thing different.. Where Mumbai meets Chennai.. Enjoy the Bombay sandwich with dosa batter, an innovation in my kitchen... 

Ingredients

1 kg Dosa Batter

1 medium bowl of Green Chutney

1 big Tomato sliced 

1 big boiled Potato sliced 

1 big boiled Beetroot sliced

1 big Cucumber sized

1 big size Onion sliced

1 tsp Sandwich masala or Chaat Masala 

1 tsp Pepper powder

1/2 cup Cheese grated or 3 slices of Cheese 

2 tbsp Butter

Method 

Take a rectangular baking tin. Apply butter. Pour 2 to 3 ladle of the dosa batter into the tin. Bake for 15 minutes at 200 degrees celcius in a preheated oven. Take the tin out. Brush some butter and chutney on the baked dosa. Arrange the potato and beetroot. Sprinkle with chaat masala and pepper powder. Pour 2 to 3 ladle more dosa batter on top of the vegetables. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the batter sets. Remove from the oven, brush with butter and chutney. Arrange the cucumber and tomato slices. Sprinkle with chaat masala and pepper powder. Pour 2 to 3 ladle of the dosa batter and bake it again for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Arrange the onion slices and spread the grated cheese or add the sliced cheese on the top and cover it with the dosa batter. Bake for 20 minutes. Insert a tooth pick to check. Remove the tin from the oven. Cool it to unmould it. Cut it into pieces and serve it with chutney and sauce.. 

Instant Crispy Dosa with Mix Lentils and Semolina... Served with Turnip and Coconut Chutney....

I wanted to make something instant as I was super hungry and did not feel like having bread for breakfast and as I am alone for lunch, did not feel like making a meal. So this dish was great for brunch and it is healthy too. 

So here is the recipe of how I made this Instant Dosa with mix lentils and semolina..... which is served with spicy Turnip and Coconut Chutney. 

For the Dosa

Ingredients

2 cups of Semolina or Idli Rawa

1/2 cup Sago flour 

1/4 cup Black split lentil

1/4 cup Green split lentil

2 tbsp split Bengal Gram 

1 tsp Eno 

Salt to taste 

Method 

Wash all the lentils together and soak it for 15 minutes. Take a grinder and grind the lentils and salt together  into a smooth paste. Add the sago flour, semolina and some water. Make it into a medium thick batter. Remove it into a mixing bowl. Add Eno and mix it. The batter is ready for making dosas. Take a dosa skillet. Let it heat on low flame. Add 2 ladles of the batter. Spread it and drizzle some ghee. Let it cook on low flame until crispy and brown. Serve it hot with the turnip and coconut chutney.

Turnip and Coconut Chutney 

Ingredients 

1 medium size Turnip cut into pieces 

1 small piece Ginger 

2 Green Chillies cut into pieces 

1 small piece raw Mango or preserved Mango piece 

1/4 cup Fresh or Desiccated Coconut 

Salt to taste 

Few Curry leaves 

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds 

1 tsp Oil

Method 

In a grinder, grind all the above ingredients except curry leaves, mustard seeds and oil into a thick paste. Take a small pan. Add oil, let it heat. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add the seasoning into the chutney.

Macher Bhappa Cake / Fish Cake Steamed.....

This is an excellent recipe to have with evening tea or as a starter. The fish is boiled and mashed with boiled potatoes and vegetables and then set in a steamer or steamed in any vessel till it sets. This recipe is a heirloom recipe from my aunty’s kitchen and recreated in my kitchen. It has a touch of Bengal as Kasundi is used in it.  It's a very healthy recipe as there is very less oil content which has come from Kasundi and greased container. For the bread crumbs, I have used whole wheat bread crumbs, you can also roast or crisp the leftover rotis to make the breadcrumbs.
For people who eats egg... you can substitute the fish with soya granules.
I am sure you will love my recipe as much as I did making it. I am sure you will try it out.

Ingredients
1 cup / 250 grams  Any Fish boiled, deboned and mashed ( Bhetki, Prawns, Kathla)
1 big size Potato boiled and mashed
1/2 cup finely chopped any colour capsicum
1 small Onion finely chopped
1 tsp Garlic minced
1/2 tsp Ginger minced
1/2 to 1 tsp Green chillies minced
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Pepper crushed
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/4 tsp Baking powder
1/4 cup Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs beaten
2 tbsp Kasundi ( Mustard Sauce )
1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
1/4  tsp Mustard oil just to grease the container

Method
Take a mixing bowl and mix all the ingredients together very well, except for the oil. Take a greased baking pan. Pour the mixture in to the container and spread it. You can steam it in a steamer or take a wok, add water, place a napkin at the base. Place the container with the lid on. Cover the wok and steam it for 20 to 30 minutes or till the mixture has set. To check, insert a tooth pick. Cool it down. Cut it into pieces and serve it with more Kasundi.

Instant Kanchipuram Idlis

Instant Kanchipuram Idlis

I remember my best friend's gradmother Patti. Some of the people though they are no more in this world, they will always remain in my heart forever, she is one of them. As a teenager I use to visit my friend's house everyday, infact it was my second home. Patti use to make many Tamilian dishes and I picked up few of them from her, though few of the dishes are forgotten and few I remember. One of the dish was Kanchipuram Idlis. She used black lentils with skin and rice, soaked it over night and she use to ground it on a stone grinder. Then the batter was left to ferment overnight and it was seasoned with salt, some curry leaves, mustard seeds, chana dal, few peppercorn, few broken cashwenuts and 2 pinch of asafoetida. Then the rest of the process remained the same for making the idlis. She served it with coconut chutney and milagai podi which was again homemade. 

      Here I followed the recipe but since it is an instant idli, it was not kept for fermentation. I used Eno, but soda bicarbonate can also be added if there is no Eno. It helps in instant fermentation and incoperates air in the batter. I added desiccated coconut in the batter as I love it. Also I replaced rice with idli rawa and oats...

For the Seasoning 

Ingredients 

1/4 tsp Bengal Grams / Chana Dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Pepper Corn crushed 

Few broken pieces of Cashwenuts 

1 tsp minced Green Chillies 

Few Curry leaves

2 Pinch of Asafoetida 

1 tbsp Ghee 

Method 

Take a pan and add ghee in it. Let it. Heat add the chana dal, stir it for a minute. Add the mustard seeds, let it crackle. Add peppercorn and few Cashwenuts, stir it for a minute. Add the green chillies and curry leaves. Stir for another minute. Add asafoetida and stir it for few seconds. Remove it from the flame. 

For the Batter 

Ingredients 

1 cup Oats

2 cups Idli Rawa

1/2 cup Split Black Lentils with skin soaked for an hour

2 tbsp Desiccated Coconut

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Eno / Soda bicarbonate 

1/2 cup Curd

Water as required 

Seasoning 

1 tbsp Seasam oil

Method

Grind the soaked lentils in a grinder. Remove it in a mixing bowl, add oats, ldli rawa, coconut, salt, curd, seasoning and water as per required to make a batter. It should be dropping consistency. Add eno. Mix it and let it stand for 10 minutes. Take idli moulds and apply seasam oil on it. Add the batter and steam it till done. Serve it with chutney and sambhar.