Indian Food

Rava Idli

March 31st, 2010 by User | No Comments | Filed in Indian Food

About Rava Idli

Rava Idli is a favorite dish of my husband. I first tasted it at the Kamat hotel in Bangalore during my college days. They used to serve it with Vegetable Sagu and Chutney; it turned out very well. At home we relish it with fresh onion Chutney.

Rava idli mix from several different brands is available in the market, but I prefer to prepare it on my own from scratch. These mixes add preservatives to extend the shelf life. They also do not contain enough quantity of cashews and kishmish. Although these mixes are convenient when the going gets busy, I will recommend you find a relaxed 30 minutes somewhere to give this a shot. Since it takes just 20-30 minutes in all, you have enough time in the morning to make this a part of your lunch box.

What you need to have:

Bombay Rava – 1 cup

Sour curds(thick) – 1 cup

Water – 1 cup

Fresh grated coconut – a handful

Bengalgram dal (Chana dal) – 2 teaspoon

Grated carrots – 2

Cooking soda – 1 teaspoon

Sugar – 1/2 teaspoon

Cooking oil – 1 table spoon

Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon

Green chillies (optional) – 2

Handful each of cashew nuts and Kishmish

Coriander leaves – a handful

What you do with what you have:

1. Place a pan on the gas with oil in it. Add mustard seeds and on popping add Chana Dal followed by cashews, kishmish, grated carrot and green chillies.

2. Add bombay rava and fry it till you get a pleasant smell. By then the grated carrot will have crumpled. See picture below.

3. Switch off the gas and let the mixture cool.

4. Add coriander leaves and grated coconut.

5. Separately mix the sour curds, water, salt, sugar and cooking soda and grind it in the mixer/blender for about 10 seconds.

6. Now add the mixture (as shown below) from Step 4 to it and set aside for about 20 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, grease the Idli stand and pour the mixture (from Step 6) into the Idli molds.

8. Steam the Idlis in the cooker for about 15 minutes (just as you would steam the regular Idli).

The Idlis are now ready to be relished with some ’super chutney’.

What they look like:

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Masala Upma (Khaara Uppitu)

March 31st, 2010 by User | No Comments | Filed in Indian Food

About Masala Upma (Khara Uppitu)

Upma is a common breakfast dish, with Masala Upma being one variety. Upma is one of those dishes that I prefer when I do not want to stand near the hot gas stove for a long time (to make dosas for instance). In Kannada and Konkani, we call it Uppittu and in Tamil it is Upma.

In my childhood, my mother never used to prepare Masala Upma; instead she would only prepare the standard Upma – simple sans tomatoes or onions etc. These days however these dishes are more common in most of functions like weddings. Masala Upma can be prepared in half an hour time and tastes great, especially when eaten with potato chips or the usual mixtures (chow-chow). My younger son loves it very much.

Tip: It is better to prepare it by mixing both Bombay Rava and Bansi or kesari Rava in the required proportion. If prepared only with Bombay rava it consumes lot of oil and will tend to form lumps.

What you need to have:

Bombay Rava (Sooji) – 2/3 cup

Bansi Rava (Kesari Rava) – 1/3 cup (Finely Cracked Wheat)

Water – 2 cups

2 Onions

1 Tomato

Cooking oil – 1 table spoon

Mustard seeds – 1 tea spoon

Black gram dal – 2 tea spoons

Green chillies – 4

Sambar powder – 1 tea spoon

Garam masala powder – 1/2 tea spoon

Sugar – 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves

Corriander and Grated coconut ( For sprinkling on top)

What you do with what you have:

1. Mix both Bombay Rava and Kesari Rava and roast them on a medium flame till you get a pleasant aroma and keep it aside. Do not roast it on a high flame to avoid it being burnt and becoming bitter.

2. Bring 2 cups of water to boil.

3. In a thick bottomed wide vessel, pour cooking oil along with mustard seeds and blackgram dal.

4. In a minute or so, add green chillies and curry leaves. Add cut onions and tomatoes to it. Add some salt so that onion will not get burnt. Stir for 2 minutes.

5. Add roasted Rava mixture, sambar powder, garam masala powder and sugar and mix well.

6. Pour boiling water into the above mixture and heat at low flame for 3-4 minutes.

7. Close the pan with a lid and leave aside for 5 minutes.

8. Remove lid and decorate it with corriander leaves, fresh grated coconut.

9. Serve warm with either potato chips or even Haldiram’s mixtures.

What it looks like:

Masala Upma

Masala Upma

How long it takes: 30 minutes

Number of servings : 4

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Asafoetida chutney(Hing chutney)

March 31st, 2010 by User | No Comments | Filed in Indian Food

About Hing Chutney

When you mention the word chutney what comes to mind is the Idly Chutney. These days though Chutney has a larger role to play in terms of being a combination for Dosa, Chapathis and even for Puri. There is also the Chutney Pudi/powder that is prepared at homes in South India which is dry and has a longer shelf life as well.

Here I about describing the simple Chutney that we call Hing chutney (asafoetida). This is ideal chutney for the usual Idlies, and also Khotto (Idli in jack basket which I will soon put up). Another reason that Asafoetida Chutney is a good combination is because it contains enzymes that help digestion and is a good antidote to Idly that tends to be a little gastric due to the Urad Dal.
What you need to have:

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Ingredients for Hing Chutney

Fresh grated coconut – 1 cup

Asafoetida (Hing) : About the size of a peanut ; (if powder, 1/2 teaspoon)

Oil – 1 teaspoon

Green chillies – 3

Tamarind – a piece about 0.5″ diameter

Urad Dal – 1/2 tea spoon

What you do with what you have:

1. In a pan, add oil and fry Urad dal until light brown. Add hing (Asafoetida) and keep it aside.

2. Fry the green chillies in a bit of oil and add to the above.

3. Grind the above mixture while adding water according to the required consistency (some like it thin watery, while others prefer it thick)

4. If required, season it with cooking oil, mustard, red chilly and curry leaves.

This is the perfect chutney for Idly and Dosas.

What it looks like:

How long it takes: 15 minutes

Number of servings : 4

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Beetroot Sassam

March 31st, 2010 by User | No Comments | Filed in Indian Food

About Beetroot sassam:

Several years ago I was with my father at a restaurant in Udupi where he ordered the usual South Indian thali. There were as usual 3-4 side dishes and I found one of them particularly tasty. When I inquired the waiter said it was Beetroot Sassam. I came home and tried to reverse engineer the recipe and it turned out pretty well. Ever since, the Beetroot Sassam is one of my lunch/dinner menu.

Beetroot Sassam can be a side dish for all kinds of rotis – chapathis, Jwari rotis or even rice powder roti. You may also have it with Dal and rice. Since it is not spicy the kids might love it as well.

What you need to have:

Beet root – 2 (approx. 250 gms)

Green chillies – 4

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Small piece of Asafoetida

Tamarind pulp – 1/4 teaspoon

Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon

What you do with what you have:

1. Wash, peel and cut beetroot into small pieces.

2. Boil/Cook it in cooker in the cooker seperator/vessel without adding water to the vegetable but adding little salt , for about 15 minutes with green chilli as shown in image below.

Ingredients of Beetroot Sassam

3. On releasing pressure, allow it to cool for about 30 minutes. You may choose to cool it by placing it in cold water.

4. In the mean time place a teaspoon cooking oil on gas and add mustard seeds to it and on popping, add asafoetida to it and switch off gas.

5. For masala :� Grind grated coconut, boiled green chili, tamarind pulp, salt and the mixture from step 4. in a blender/mixer to a coarse consistency. (ingredients shown in image below)

Ingredients of Beetroot Sassam

6. Add cooled beetroot pieces to it and whip it for a while so that it is also coarse.

7. Transfer it to a bowl and enjoy with either rice or rotis.

8. You can even decorate it with chopped onions.

The Why and why nots:

The reason to steam green chili is to avoid giving the dish a raw smell. The other alternative is to fry them in oil. Green chili can be either increased/decreased depending upon the spice level of it.

Secondly, while grinding boiled beetroot do not grind it fine since you will not get to eat small pieces of beetroot and you may lose the feel for the dish.

What it looks like:

How long it takes: 30 minutes

Number of servings : 5

Note: Since we are boiling beet root in the cooker vessel add water to the cooker but do not add water to beet root. To the beetroot itself, add a little salt.

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Tendle Thalasani

March 31st, 2010 by User | No Comments | Filed in Indian Food

About Tendle thalasani

There are so many curries prepared by us in our daily life but we all have our favorites. In my young days I was in Bangalore and had hardly seen Tendle at all. But ever since coming to Manipal, it is available in plenty here, with good variety as well. Even though its available in Bangalore now, there is no variety. That is why I normally give it to my sister who lives in Bangalore whenever she visits me during the season.

Now let me put up the recipe here. It can be prepared with and without garlic as per one’s likings.

What you need to have :

fresh thinduras

Fresh Tendle (Tindura)

Tendle - About 40 of them

Chili powder – 2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon

Asafoetida powder 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

What you do with what you have:

1. Wash and crush Tendle as shown in the image.

2. To the crushed Tendle, add chili powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida and salt to it and leave it aside for about 10 minutes.

masala applied

3. In a wide pan add cooking oil and on heating, add mustard seeds. When it splitters add the crushed thendle and cumin seeds to it. (If you are adding garlic, you may crush it and add at this point.)

4. Close the lid and leave it on medium flame for about 5-8 minutes.

5. Now lower the flame and close the lid again. If necessary, sprinkle little water so that the dish does not get burnt.

6. Open lid and leave it for around 5 minutes on the low flame so that if any water it evaporates and the dish is ready.

7. Serve it with Dal and Rice.

Ready to serve thendle thalasani

How long it takes : 30 minutes

Number of servings: 4

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Fried Carrots

March 31st, 2010 by User | No Comments | Filed in Indian Food

About Fried Carrots

Many of you might have heard of fried brinjal (egg plant), fried tinduras (thendle in konkani) but it is unlikely that you have heard of fried carrots. It is my mom’s recipe. And she in turn borrowed it from her maternal aunt.

Since carrots are good for health, I always have some of those at home. Fried carrots is easy to prepare and a favorite dish of both my sons. Whenever they are home and I ask them as to what is the side-dish for lunch, they would ask for carrot kosombari (salad) the way Granny makes it. So here is the recipe.

What you need to have:

Carrots (long ones)- 4

Onions – 2

Green chili – 5

Fresh grated coconut – a handful

What you do with what you have:

1. Wash, peal and grate carrots and mix with fresh grated coconut.

2. Peal onions and cut lengthwise to tally grated carrots. Wash and slit green chilli.

3. In a wide bottomed pan, add 4 teaspoons of cooking oil and mustard seeds. On popping add slit green chili, cut onion and salt. Fry on medium flame until the onion is transparent.

4. Simmer the flame and add grated carrot-coconut mixture. Fry it without lid till the carrots become little dry and change its colour (they become light brownish orange). Do not close the lid of the bowl till it is done.

Fried carrots match with Dalithoy and Rice.

Whys and why nots: You add salt to frying onions so that they consume less oil while also prevent them from being burnt.

What it looks like:

How long it takes: 30 minutes

Number of servings: 4

Note: After adding grated carrots to fried onions, you can even leave it on the flame for a while until the color turns a little brown. Some like it that way.

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Green Guard Skin (Peel) Chutney

March 31st, 2010 by User | No Comments | Filed in Indian Food

About Green Guard Skin Chutney

Green guard chutney forms a part of a host of chutneys one can pair up with Idli, Dosa etc. This chutney is healthy (and not very spicy) and is even served to patients who have just recovered from jaundice, fever etc. A side dish for lunch or dinner, it can be had as such with curds.

It is essential that the Green guard be tender. It it is not, the skin would develop thread-like structures when one attempts to cut and you may have trouble grinding it to a fine consistency. So one has to be careful while buying it from the market itself – a self diagnosis of tenderness would be easy pinching of the vegetable.

This is how the Green Guard will look when the skin has been removed.