Chili Idle

Sometimes you have left over idle's not enough for the whole family or want to fix a quick heavy snack or starter, here is a good idea. Fried idle and chili idle have become regular starters in Indian Restaurants. I hope they are not using left over's like I said! It could be a spicy dish but reduce the heat (karam) if you want it milder.

Idle - steamed and cooled. (Please refer to idle recipe in Brunch/Breakfast)

Peppers: any variety

Green/Yellow/Red Peppers

2 Large Onions

1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste

2 tsp Red chili paste

Coriander

Lemon Juice

Small button idle will be ideal, if not cut the regular idle into 4 pieces.

Take a large non stick vessel and add oil and make tadka with jeera and mustard seeds. Sauté' chopped onions and add ginger garlic paste. The add cut peppers and fry till semi cooked. Do not overcook. Now add salt and red chili paste and mix well.

Add idle and give it a good stir. Be gentle. Remove from flame and garnish with coriander and lemon juice. Serve warm.

Kuzhi(ku-li) Paniyaram

The Grand Sweets & Snacks, Adyar, Chennai.
During the time when we were in Chennai, I used to make frequent visits to a place called The Grand Sweets & Snacks in Adyar. They had authentic and wonderful variety of sweets, savories, pickles and podi's. Run dominantly by women, their quality was very high. They would hand out complimentary food in "Donnai", leaves knit together like a cup, mostly a rice item which was no match for any home made food in its quality. I have become addicted to their podi's and other things it was difficult to make a change. After moving to US, I wait for my husband to make a business trip to Chennai to bring my favorite items from there. Here, I have to mention that I was introduced to kuzhi paniyaram. They would make fresh paniyaram and serve with sambar and tomato chutney. Kuzhi paniyaram chatti, a special tawa that has small holes is required to make these small balls that a soft and spongy on the inside and crispy on the outside called as paniyarams. Kuzli means "hole", referring to the tawa required for preparation. Idli batter can be used to make these paniyarams, but if want to make these specially, better to make the original batter.
1 cup Urad dal
2 cups boiled Rice
2 cups raw Rice
2 tsp Fenugreek seeds

Soak all in enough water and grind to a smooth batter. Add salt and set aside to ferment for 6 - 8 hrs. Yeast or cooking soda can be added for fermentation.
For the masala:
2 Onions
3 Green Chilies
1” Ginger
Few Curry leaves
1 cup cut peppers - optional
1 cup grated carrot - optional
½ cup grated coconut
Coriander

In a kadai add 2 tsp of oil and make tadka with few mustard seeds, jeera, hing, a red chili, chopped green chilies and ginger, few curry leaves. Add chopped onions and fry for a few minutes, then add finely cut peppers (red, green), grated carrot and grated coconut. Add salt and fry for a few minutes, remove from the flame and let cool. Add chopped coriander.

Add to the batter and mix well. Add a few drops of oil in each hole to the paniyaram pan and gently drop spoonful batter into each hole. Let cook for a few minutes and turn the other side using a pointed stick (given with the tawa). Remove when nicely done. Cook on medium flame for crispiness.

Serve hot with sambar and tomato chutney or coconut chutney.

Instant Rava Dosa

This is an ideal item for those days when we have to question ourselves "What's for lunch/dinner?". An instant dosa that can be mixed up using regular flours and that needs no fermentation. A dosa carving that can be fulfilled Instantly! So, measure up the flours and get ready to use your hands - a trick that works with this dosa!

1 cup Rice flour
1 cup Bombay rava - Sooji
1/2 cup All purpose flour - Maida
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
1 tsp jeera
5 -6 Green Chilies
1" Ginger
Few Curry Leaves

Chop green chilies and ginger into small pieces. Cut curry leaves also into small pieces. Roughly ground pepper or whole pepper corns can also be used according to preference.

Mix all the above things in a vessel and add salt. Using your hand squeeze the essence of the ginger and chilies and add water liberally, mix the batter till the consistency of light butter milk is reached. Batter is ready to be made into dosa's, no fermentation is required.

Ideal to use a dosa/pancake griddle. Dosa pan also be used, clear the stove top of all other items and heat a dosa pan.

Using your hand, take handfuls and sprinkle on a hot skillet gently, filling the whole pan, cover holes lightly. Pour 2 tsp of oil or ghee around the dosa and in the middle and leave for a couple of minutes to roast. There would be no need to turn the dosa on the other side.

I would like to share a trick my sister told me years ago with dosa's and pan's. Use a wet paper towel to wipe the pan real clean after removing each dosa before the next one. Don't have to grease the pan before pouring the batter, add a tsp of oil after it has settled on the pan. It has worked for me all these years, see if it works for you.

Imagine dosa in 3 parts, fold the first and 3rd part on to the middle part and remove from the pan.

If you feel the dosa has come a little thick, add some more water and try again.

This dosa does not need a side dish. Fresh curd with salt, lemon juice and coriander would be a good side dish.

Sponge Uttapam - Pongaram

2 cups Raw Rice
1 cup Poha - Atukulu
½ cup Urad dal
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
3 - 4 cups Sour curd

Mix all four together and wash two times. Then add sour curd and enough water till the level of the mix and soak overnight or up to 6 – 8 hrs.

Do not drain the water; grind the mix to a smooth batter adding salt. Let the batter ferment for 6 – 8 hrs. Keep in a warm place or in the oven.

Grease a small skillet with oil and pour the batter a little thick in the skillet spreading evenly with the ladle. Sprinkle chopped onion, green chili, ginger and coriander (Optional).

Add a tsp of oil so that uttapam can be removed easily. Turn the other side and let roast. Cook in slow/medium flame with the lid ON for a crunchy taste and the inside will also get cooked evenly.

The outside will be roasted nicely and inside will be like sponge. Make small bit sized uttapams for kids.

Serve it with any chutney of choice.

Pesarattu - Moong dal dosa

Pesarattu with coconut chutney.
2 cups Whole Green Moong dal - Pesallu
Hand full Raw Rice
4 Green Chilies
1" Ginger
1 tsp jeera
1 Onion - Optional

Mix and soak dal and rice over night. Grind along with chilies, ginger and jeera to a nice batter using water as required and add salt.

This batter does not need fermenting and is ready to be made into pesarattu after grinding.

Grease a dosa pan with oil and pour the batter in circles spreading evenly with the ladle. Chopped onions, coriander can be spread on the batter at this time.

Add a tsp of oil so that it can be removed easily from the pan. Turn it the other side and let roast.

Upma compliments pesarattu. It can be eaten with rice also.

Plain Upma can be made before hand and while the pesarattu is still on the skillet turn to the inside part, spread upma on one half of it and fold it. Press on it so it will be evenly spread.

Pesarattu with upma is a favorite Telugu combination. It is called as "MLA Pesarattu" fondly in Vizag eateries. A very filling and nutritious item.

Dosa - Attu

These are the attu's made during "Attla thadiya". Eating onion pulusu with nuvupodi by dawn and fasting all day and breaking the fast at dusk with these attulu's was a wonderful thing from the past. All of us cousins would get together in my Aunt's place by evening on that day. I wondered how they would keep up with a bunch of hungry kids. They had a couple of pans on stoves and 3 or 4 aunts would take care of making the attu's. Spicy coconut with peanuts pachadi by the side and a white sweet dipping dish called "Thimanam" for those sweet lovers. These attu's can also be dipped in thimanam and eaten.

1 cup Urad dal
2 cups Raw Rice
1 tsp Fenugreek seeds

Add fenugreek to the urad dal and raw rice. Soak them over night.

Grind the mix to a smooth batter add salt and mix well and set aside to ferment for 6 - 8 hrs. Yeast or cooking soda can be added for fermentation. Keep in a warm place or in the oven.

Water can be added to the batter later, as required to make dosa.

Heat a dosa pan, wipe with a wet tissue and pour the batter with a ladle and spread evenly. Add a tsp of oil so that dosa can be removed easily. Turn the other side and let roast.

These are very quick to make dosa, will remove without difficulty. Serve it hot with chutney.

Pongal - Venna Pongal

2 cups Rice
1 cup Moong dal - Pesara pappu
3 Green Chilies
1" Ginger
Few Curry Leaves
Cashew nuts
1 tsp Jeera
Pepper powder
Ghee

In a tsp of ghee fry moong dal till golden brown and then add rice and fry a little longer.

Transfer into a vessel and wash. Add 1: 2.5 water for the mixture. Add chopped green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, ½ tsp jeera, turmeric and a pinch of ground pepper. Cook in pressure cooker until softly done.

Take 4 tsp of ghee in a non stick pan and add jeera and cashew nuts. When they are nicely done add pepper powder and the previously cooked rice mixture. Add salt and more ghee according to taste.

Pongal can be eaten as is or with pachi pulusu or chutney of choice. A good item for Brunch, quick lunch.

In some areas vegetables like carrots, beans and peas etc. can be added while boiling and it is called "Kichidi".

Dosa with Idli-batter

1 cup Urad dal
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
4 cups Boiled rice
1 cup Raw rice

Add fenugreek to the urad dal and mix the raw rice and boiled rice. Soak them separately over night.

Grind urad dal and the rice mix to a smooth batter. This should be done separately, once rice and urad dal mixes, texture of the batter will change.

Then they can be mixed together, add salt and mix well and set aside to ferment for 6 - 8 hrs. Yeast or cooking soda can be added for fermentation. Keep in a warm place or in the oven.

Water can be added to the batter as required to make dosa.

Grease a dosa pan with oil and pour the batter spreading evenly with the ladle.
Add a tsp of oil so that dosa can be removed easily. Turn the other side and let roast.

Same batter can be used to make uttappam. Pour the batter a little thick on the skillet sprinkle chopped onion, green chili and ginger on the batter.

Serve it hot with chutney.

Idli - TamilNadu

Idli stand and Pressure cooker are required for making Idli.

1 cup Urad dal
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
4 cups Boiled rice
1 cup Raw rice

Add fenugreek to the urad dal and mix the raw rice and boiled rice. Soak them separately over night.

Grind urad dal and the rice mix to a smooth batter. This should be done separately, once rice and urad dal mixes, texture of the batter will change.

Then they can be mixed together, add salt and mix well and set aside to ferment for 6 - 8 hrs. Yeast or cooking soda can be added for fermentation. Keep in a warm place or in the oven.

Spray Pam or smear oil in the holes of the idle stand and pour the batter. A small trick I have learnt over the years, is to alternatively align the holes in the stand, by doing this, idli will not stick to the top tray.

Steam cook in high heat for 15 min and in low flame for 5 - 6 mins.

This is steamed food and very good for kids. Rub some ghee on the idli and serve with coconut chutney or podi. Idli can be soaked in sambar and eaten.

To make it appealing for kids, button idli stand can be used, same taste, smaller size - bite size. These idli's and soaked in sambar and eaten.

Uttapam

1 cup Urad dal
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
4 cups Boiled rice
1 cup Raw rice

Add fenugreek to the urad dal and mix the raw rice and boiled rice. Soak them separately over night.

Grind urad dal and the rice mix to a smooth batter. This should be done separately, once rice and urad dal mixes, texture of the batter will change.

Then they can be mixed together, add salt and mix well and set aside to ferment for 6 - 8 hrs. Yeast or cooking soda can be added for fermentation. Keep in a warm place or in the oven.

Water can be added to the batter as required to make uttapam.

Grease a dosa pan with oil and pour the batter a little thick on the skillet spreading evenly with the ladel. Sprinkle chopped onion, green chili, ginger and chopped coriander.

Add a tsp of oil so that uttapam can be removed easily. Turn the other side and let roast.

Serve it with chutney.

PoliRotti - Dibbarotti

2 cups Rice
1 cup Urad dal
1 tsp Jeera
Chili, Ginger paste
2 cups sour Curd
1/4 tsp Red Chili Powder

Dry grind dal and rice together till very fine grain texture. (soft flour consistency not required)Work in small batches so that it will be faster. This mixture has a good shelf life. Store in air tight container.

Add curd, chili and ginger paste, jeera, red chili powder and salt to the mixture
and set aside to ferment for 6 - 8 hrs.

Pour in a medium griddle (batter can be poured thick) and add 4 tsp of oil. Let cook in low flame for 15 -20 min for a thick nicely done crust. Flip on the other side and let roast.

It does not a side dish as it has chili-ginger in it, but you eat with simple magai-perugupachadi.

My aunt used to make this as travel food, very filling and it will not get spoilt quickly. It may be done over night and packed, also needs no side dish.

A suggested recommendation, should try.

Poha - Atukula Upma

2 cups Poha - Atukulu
2 Potatoes
3 Green Chilies
1/2 " Ginger
Curry leaves
Coriander
Lemon juice
2 tsp of sesame powder (optional)

Wash poha is water and drain the water in a strainer and set aside. Too much time in the water will make poha soggy.

In a non stick pan add 2 tsp of oil and make tadka (poppu) with 1 tsp of urad dal, 1 tsp of channa dal, jeera, mustard. Add chopped chilies, ginger and curry leaves.
Then add finely chopped potatoes.

Cook till the potatoes are nicely roasted, add salt.

Then add the poha from the strainer, 2 tsp of oil, some lemon juice, turmeric and 2 tsp of sesame powder.

This will cook fast. Add chopped coriander as a garnish. Ready to serve.

Uppidipindi - Uppudupindi

2 cups granular Rice flour
3/4 cup Moong dal
2 Green Chilies
1/2" Ginger
Few Curry Leaves

Dry grind rice into a fine granular texture. It can be sieved so the rice flour separates from it.

In a non stick pan take 2 tsp of oil and fry 1 tsp urud, 1tsp channa dal, few mustard seeds, jeera and 1 red chili. Then add chopped green chilies, ginger and curry leaves.

Then add 3:1 ratio of water for the rice flour and bring to a boil and add salt and moong dal. Cook on medium flame until the dal is semi done and then add the rice flour. Add 3 tsp of oil and cook on low flame with the lid on.

It can be mixed occasionally, as it cooks, a nice crust forms to the bottom of the pan. The crust is the best deal.

Let cool and serve with Magai perugupachadi. Dab the crust with oil and eat it.

Potato Pancake

2 cups Pancake flour
2 potatoes
2 cups sour curd
Chili, ginger, coriander paste

Boil (with salt) and peel potatoes. Grate the peeled potato and keep aside. Add chili-ginger paste according to taste.

Mix all the above things in a bowl and add salt, water can be used as needed till a nice consistency is formed. It should be like uttappam batter so that it can be removed from the skillet in one piece.

On a warm skillet add the batter in round circles. Add a tsp of oil. Let roast nicely and turn the other side. Cook on medium flame so that the inside part also gets cooked evenly.

Garnish with a blob of butter. Can be served with Maple syrup or any chutney.

Pulagam

2 cups Rice
1 cup Moong dal
1 tsp jeera
2 green chilies
½ “ginger
Few curry leaves.

Mix rice and dal and wash. Take 1: 3 ratio of water for the mixture. Add jeera and turmeric powder. Add chopped chili, ginger and curry leaves. This is optional if you want milder, simpler pulagam. Add 2 tsp of ghee and cook in a pressure cooker.

After it is done, mash it with salt to a smooth consistency.

It tastes good with any chutney or pachi-pulusu.

Uppidimoram - Broken Rice Pulihara

2 cups granular rice flour
2 green chilies
1/2" ginger
Few curry leaves
Lemon juice
Cashew nuts or ground nuts

Dry grind rice into a granular texture. It can be sieved so the rice flour separates from it.
Take 1: 2.5 water for the granular rice. Bring to boil in a vessel with salt and turmeric. Then add the rava slowly mixing properly. Add 2 tsp of oil and cook on low flame till the rice rava gives out bubbles. It needs to be mixed frequently so that the bottom part of the rice rava is not burnt. Set aside and let cool.
In a non stick pan take 2 tsp of oil and fry 1 tsp of cashew nuts or peanuts according to taste, 1 tsp urud dal, 1tsp channa dal, few mustard seeds, jeera and 1 red chili. Then add chopped green chilies, ginger and curry leaves.
Spread the cooked rice rava in a flat basin, add 2 tsp of raw oil (without heating) and the thadaka (poppu). Mix all the above thoroughly with lemon juice. (Enough to make the rice rava a bit tangy)

This takes a bit more effort than the regular pulihara, but trust me, its worth it!
My Grandmother used to make this for us!

Rava Idli - Sooji Idli

Idli stand
Pressure cooker
4 cups rava (sooji)
2 onions
4 green chilies
1/2" ginger
Few curry leaves
Coriander
3 cups sour curd

Take 4 tsp of oil in a kadai. Make poppu (thadaka) with 1 tsp of urad dal, 1 tsp of chenna dal, few mustard seeds, jeera and hing. Then add chopped onion, chili, ginger and curry leaves. Once onion is transparent add the sooji and fry till it turns into golden color.

Set aside and let cool. Then add curd, salt and chopped coriander. Mix water as required. Batter should have the consistency of regular idli batter.
Let the batter ferment over night.

For soft fluffy idli's add a pinch of baking soda just before cooking.
Spray oil in the holes of the idli stand and pour the batter.
Steam cook in a pressure cooker on high heat for 15 min and in low flame for 5 - 6mins.

Sabudaana Upma- Saggubiyyam Upma

2 cups Sabudaana - Saggubiyyam
2 cups sour Curd
2 tsp of Groundnuts
1 Onion
2 Green Chilies
1/2" Ginger
Few Curry Leaves
Coriander
Lemon juice

Soak sabudaana over night in curd and water.

Dry roast peanuts and grind to a powder.

In a non stick pan take 2 tsp of oil and fry 1 tsp urud dal, 1 tsp channa dal, few mustard seeds and jeera. Then add chopped onion, chili, and ginger and curry leaves. After the onion turns light brown add sabudaana, salt, turmeric and peanut powder.
At this time lemon juice can be added according to taste.

It can be garnished with chopped coriander.

Poori

2 cups Atta
1/2 cup Milk
Oil to fry


Mix the atta, milk, a pinch of salt and 2 tsp of oil along with water and make solid dough. Do not use too much water.

Make small lemon size balls. Using dry atta and roll the dough balls into circles using a rolling pin. Turn a plate and spray oil and place them on it till all are done, so they do stick to each other. Or can be placed on tissue paper.

Heat oil in a sauce pan and drop each circle of dough from the side. It will at once puff up. Turn to the other side for a few seconds. They can be soft fried or deep fried according to taste. Remove and place them on paper towel so the oil will be absorbed.

Poori tastes good with potato curry or kurma. Kids love to eat puri with sugar or jam.

Poori can be soaked in warm milk, called Pal-poori.

Plain Dosa - Paper Dosa

1 cup Urad dal
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
3 cup Raw rice

Add fenugreek to the urad dal. Soak rice and dal separately over night.

Grind urad dal and the rice to a smooth batter. This should be done separately, once rice and urad dal are mixed, texture of the batter is not smooth.

Then they can be mixed together properly, add salt and set aside to ferment for 6 - 8hrs. Yeast or cooking soda can be added for fermentation.

Water can be added as required to make dosa. Pour on a hot skillet and spread evenly. This batter can be poured as thin as paper dosa. Add a tsp of oil so that dosa can be removed easily.

Turn the other side and let roast. Potato curry can be made earlier placed in the middle of the dosa for masala dosa. Peanut chutney is a good side dish for dosa.