Sambar mini idly

Sambar mini idly / ghee idly / nei idly/ Saravana bhavan special 14 idly with sambar.

This is a special kind of idly dish served in popular Indian restaurants like Saravana bhavan of Tamilnadu, India. In saravana bhavan they serve 14 mini idlies in a bowl with their special Saravana bhavan sambar with a generous spoon of ghee (melted butter). With the popularity of this dish, the idly vessel makers started selling these cute mini idly stands and every mother would rely on this little angel to make their kids eat the idly:)  The batter I use is the same as the regular idly batter. I always make vengaya (shallot onion) sambar just like the Saravana bavan hotel to soak those cute fluffy idlies. But we can make any kind of sambar for that.

Sweet notes:

I bought a similar idly stand while in India especially for my hubby. In the beginning I had to make very unique attractive breakfast menus for him to bring him in to that 'never skip a breakfast schedule' :). Then I couldn't bring it here just like most of my kitchen gadgets and bought one 'mini idly maker' here:)

For mini idly:

Idly batter - 1 cup
ghee - 2 tbsp
mini idly stand
idly cooker or a pot to steam the idly.
vengaya sambar - a lot:)
soup bowls and spoon.

Method:

Grease the idly plates with very little ghee.
Pour the batter in the idly holes using small spoon.
Heat the pressure cooker (idly cooker if any) with 2 cups of water and place the idly stand carefully inside.
steam the idlies for 7 to 10 minutes without keeping the pressure valve.
Then let the idly loose the heat for 10 minutes and scoop out the idlies carefully using a spoon. Keep them warm and tightly closed in a casserole till we serve.
Just before serving place 14 idlies in each bowl.
Bring the sambar to 'piping hot' stage.
Pour the sambar over the idlies.
Add a generous tsp of ghee over each bowl.
Decorate with cilantro and serve hot.
Sambar mini idly is ready!

Serving suggestion:

Serve as breakfast or any meal.

Double beans curry

One day I bought this can of 'large butter beans' to test run before buying a pack of dry ones. Overnight Soaking and pressure cooking the dry beans is my first choice. But the canned cooked ones comes handy too if we didn't plan the meal earlier. The beans tasted very good just like the double beans we used to buy from T.Nagar in Chennai, India. In India the street vendors would sell freshly shelled double beans by measuring them in cups or small heaps (kooru). Long back I tasted it for the first time in my aunt Sakuntala athai's house and started liking it very much. Athai makes it like a dry masala curry along with rasam rice or sambar and that is the best according to me. May be some other day I will ask her the recipe and post here:) I prepared this like a thick gravy and it tasted great with chapati.

Ingredients:

cooked double beans - 1 cup
Shallot onion - 4
Shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
oil - 1 tbsp
ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
fennel seeds (sombu)- 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
coriander powder - 2 tsp
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - a pinch
curry masala powder - 1/2 tsp
tomato - 1 (chopped)
salt - to taste

Procedure:

If using dry beans, soak them overnight and pressure cook for a whistle. Then reduce heat and switch off after 2 minutes . Don't cook after this 2 minutes. Release pressure and it would be cooked. If it needs a little more cooking, then do it in stove top , with careful observation.....otherwise the double beans turns mushy.
Otherwise use a can of cooked beans (remove that water and rinse twice before using).
Grind the shallot, coconut and cumin seeds together to a coarse paste.
Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add the fennel seeds and let it become red. Then goes the curry leaves, chopped tomato. Saute till tomato gets mushy. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes. The put the coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt.Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes with little water. Then add the cooked beans.
Then put the ground masala and keep stirring occasionally, till the koottu / curry becomes a gravy.
Large butter beans or double beans curry is ready.

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot with chapathi, roti.