Idli (Plain/ traditional)

Idli , sambar, vadai, coconut chutney

 

Idli with mutton leg paya kulambu

Ingredients:
Black gram dhal – 1 cup
Idly rice – 3  1/2cups
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tbsp
Salt (rock) – 3 tsp
(This measurement is for those who use Indian Mixer . If you use an Indian grinder take 4 cup Idly rice and 1 cup urad dhal, 1 tbsp fenugreek / methi seeds)

Method:

Soak rice separately for 8 hours. Dhal and fenugreek seeds need to be soaked together for about 3 hours. After that grind dhal till it becomes smooth. Add ice cold water while grinding to get soft idly. Rice should be ground separately.Don't add lot of water. The batter should be thick like softened butter. Add salt and mix the ground urad dhal with the rice mixture .

Store this in a large vessel so that there is enough space for batter to rise. Grinding and storing of batter should be done the previous day, preferably in the night so that the batter would be ready the next day. The batter should be allowed to ferment for about 15 – 18 hours. In India the room temperature is enough to ferment. But here, I usually keep warm the oven , switch off and keep inside overnight. Some people keep it inside microwave too. Both are good, the thing is we need to prevent cold air to come in contact, that's it. The next day,the batter will double. Mix the batter well and pour in to greased idli plates and steam for 10 minutes in a pressure cooker (without pressure valve).

Water should not be added the next day after it ferments. Dhal should be ground preferably in a grinder for at least 20 minutes and rice for 30 minutes.
The batter can also be made using an "Indian Mixer". It will take only 10 minutes.

Tips:
Adding a very little yeast solution will help in winter times (USA). I don't use yeast.
Before making idli on the first day,  mix gently and divide it in 3 small containers, if we want idly everyday.
From second day, adding 1/4 tsp baking soda to the batter will give very soft idli and dosa.

Serving suggestions:
Makes about 40 idlis, vary ingredients to reduce or increase number of Idlies.
If you want to make Idlies for 3 days, then just separate the batter in to three portions on the first morning itself and keep them refrigerated.
Serve hot steamed idlis with coconut chutney or Sambar.
See my recipes for coconut chutney and sambar here: Coconut Chutney.Idly sambar

Approximate cal:
1 Idly gives 60 Kcal.

Aapam (made by grinding rice)

 rice - 2 cup
cooked rice - 1/2 cup

urid dhal - 2tsp,
fenugreek (venthayam) seeds - 1/4 tsp.
salt - 1/4 teaspoon.
coconut milk or tender coconut water - 1/2 cup.
yeast - 1 teaspoon.
baking soda - 1/4 tsp.


Method:
Soak rice,urid dal and fenugreek seeds for 5 hours.Then add the cooked rice and grind in an "Indian Grinder" or "Indian mixie" to a fine paste. It should be like thick idly batter.
Add coconut milk/tender coconut water, salt and yeast to the batter.
Keep it closed and place in a warm place for 6 hours. I used to make this batter at night by 9 pm and leave inside oven (turn off oven) and in the next day morning when i take it out my kitchen will be filled with a nice aroma.There will be bubbles on the surface and the batter will have risen.

Before making appam add the baking soda and mix well. If needed add some water to get a runny liquid stage.

Now heat the aappam pan and wipe a drop of coconut oil all over the pan by using a clean cloth.
Check the thickness of aappam batter now. It should be in the more thin in consistency than that of dosa batter.If not so add some coconut milk or water.
Pour onto griddle, heated medium to low, to form thick pancakes about 4 inches across. Then Shake the pan in a circular motion so that the flour spreads and expands along the edges.(If batter is too thick and does not spread, add a little more milk or water ). The cooked batter forms a layer of 'lace' around the thicker center portion. It is then covered and cooked in it's own steam over gentle heat.I used to wait to hear a dropping sound of water(condensation of steam) .Now we can be sure that the aapam is cooked.Then by using a dosa spatula (dosa karandi) gently take out the aapam.

Serving suggestions:
Aapam goes fine with coconut milk.Take coconut milk 1/2 can and dilute it with equal amount of water.Spread 1 teaspoon sugar over aapam and add 2 tablespoon coconut milk over the aapam. Enjoy your aapam.
We get nearly 15 number of aapam. You can store the rest of the aapam batter in fridge and use it later if you dont need this much number of aapams.
Aappam can also be served with egg curry or chicken curry or channa dhal curry or  kadala curry or  sambar.