Idli /Dosa

Ingredients

1.Rice - 2 1/4 cups

2.Urad dal/Uzhunnu-1 cup
3.Salt-as required
4.Uluva/Fenugreek seeds - 1tsp

Preparation

1.Wash the rice and dal
2.Soak rice and dal seperately for at least 6 hours

3.When the rice and dal  is smooth enough to grind,
4.Grind the rice,uluva and dal separately by adding very little water

5.Mix the grinded rice and dal together in to a batter
6. Keep it  overnight (6-8 hours) for fermentation.
(tip:In some cold countries it is difficult to ferment the batter.Preheat the oven to 110 degree  Fahrenheit.Switch off the oven and keep the batter in it.

7.Add salt and stir well.
8. Apply oil /spray some non-stick cooking spray in the idli thattu(idli plate) and pour a spoon full of fermented batter to the plates.

9.Make Idli's in high flame.
10.Have it with Sambar [http://annshealthykitchen.blogspot.com/search?q=sambar]  and Chammanthi [http://annshealthykitchen.blogspot.com/2012/04/thenga-chammanthicoconut-chutneythenga.html]

Pidi

Ingredients

1.Roasted rice flour /aripodi -2 cups
2.Grated Coconut - 2 cups
3.Cumin powder  - 3 - 4 tsp
4.Crushed garlic- 7-10 pods
5.Curry leaves-2 stem
6.Salt-as required

Preparation

1.Boil water.
2.In a skillet, lightly roast the rice flour and keep it aside.
3.Roast the coconut very lightly just to remove the extra water from the grated coconut.
4.Grind the garlic.
5.Add the grated coconut,salt ,cumin powder and garlic to the roasted rice powder and mix well.

6.Add boiled water little by little and knead it using a spatula to make a smooth dough.
7.When it is warm enough to handle knead the dough very well by hand.
8.The consistency of the dough should be same as that of Idiyappam dough.

9.Make small balls from the dough.

10.Pour some roasted rice flour on the balls so they won't stick together.Later you can add this rice flour also to the boiled water.

11.Boil 2 - 4 cups of water with salt
12.Add curry leaves
13.Put the balls in to the boiled water
14.Add boiled water if water is not in the level of Pidi.
15.Cook it in low-medium flame with the lid closed.
(tip from mom : If the gravy is not thick,mix some roasted rice flour in boiled water and add to the boiled water)
16.Allow it to cool.
17.Serve with Chicken curry.
 (tip:For better taste, you can add coconut milk also to the boiling water.)

Manga Chammanthi (Manga Chutney)

This is a very easy but delicious dish.

Ingredients


Green mangoes -1/2 (depends on the sourness of the mango ,you can change the quantity )
Grated Coconut - 4 -5 tsp
Green chilies -5
Small onion/Shallots(Kunjulli) -3-5
Curry leaves - 2 or 3
Salt -as required
Ginger(1/4 inch)(optional)

Preparation

Cut all the ingredients in to small pieces.

Grind the above ingredients in the small jar of the mixer without water.

Banana Kumbilappam

Kumbilappam (Chakka ada/Poocha puzhungiyathu) is a very delicious tea-time snack in Kerala.Usually Kumbilappam is made from ripen jack fruit and wrap in edana ela.Since I don't have jackfruit available I am using ripened bananas instead of jack fruit and banana leaf instead of edana ela.You can also try this with ripen papaya.

Ingredients

Roasted rice -1 cup

Overripe bananas/well Ripened bananas -6

Jaggery -1 cup (as required)

Cumin powder-1/2 tsp

Cardamom-1/2 tsp

Grated Coconut- 1/2cup
Salt -a pinch(optional)
Banana leaf -as required

1.Roast the rice well.

2.Cut all the bananas and grind it well in a mixer.

3.Pour this mixture in to a pan and stir in medium flame.

4.After 5 minutes add the grated jaggery and stir well.

5.Add the grated coconut ,cumin powder and stir well.

6.Check the sweetness and add more jaggery if required.

6.Stir well until the mixture thickens

7. Add the cardamom powder and switch off the flame.

8.When the mixture has cooled enough to handle,add roasted rice little by little and mix well.

9.Knead the dough well.The dough should be smooth and soft.It should not be too loose or too thick.

10.Divide the banana leaves into small pieces (Size of the leaves - width:1 palm and height: 2 palms)

11.Spread the dough on the banana leaf and fold it.

12.In an appachembu steam all the kumbilappam for around 20-30 minutes

Serve warm.

Kerala Sambar

Sambar is a vegetable stew made with tamarind and vegetables, and is very popular in the cooking of southern regions of India especially in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Each state in South India prepares it with a typical variation, adapted to its taste and environment.

Ingredients

1.Sambar parippu(dal)- 1 cup

2.Chembu(Taro) -2 or 3

3.Potato-2

4.Payar(Long beans)-10-12 nos

5.Beans -10-12 nos

6.Green chilly-5-7

7.Carrot-1

8.Snake gourd(padavalanga)-1

9.Pumpkin(mathanga)-1 piece

10.Tindora(Kovakkai)-15

11.Onion-1 small

12.plantain(Ethakka)-1

13.Tomato-1 small

14.Lady's finger(Vendakka)

15.Drumsticks(Muringakka)

16.Turmeric powder(1/4tsp)

17-Sambar powder-4-5 tsp

18.Asafoetida(Kayam)-2 pinch

19.Chilly powder-1/2 tsp

20.Coriander powder-1tsp

You can add cauliflower,Yam(chena) etc to the sambar.If you don't have all these vegetables available,don't worry.You can also make sambar with only one veggie.

Preparation

1.Soak 1 cup dal for 30 minutes

2.Soak 1tsp tamarind in hot water

3.Cut all the vegetables.

4.Put the items from 1-12 in to a pressure cooker.
5.Heat up 2 tsp sambar powder ,1 tsp coriander powder,1 tsp uluva powder, a pinch of turmeric
   powder,2 or 3 pinch of kayam and put it in to the pressure cooker along with the vegetables.

6.Add salt stir well. The water level should be slightly less than the level of the vegetables.

7.Close the lid and cook it in medium flame

8.Turn off the heat as soon as the first whistle blows.

9.open the pressure cooker when all the steam inside gets released.

10.Add the tomato,lady's finger(Vendakka) and drumsticks to the cooker.

11.Add 1/2 glass water ,close the lid and cook it in high flame ,till all the vegetables become soft.

12.Now pour the tamarind juice ,salt and stir well.(Oru nellikka valuppathinte thazhe puli eduthu water l ettu vekkuka.puli neeru strain cheythu ozhikkuka.water eduthittu ,discard the tamarind)

13. Add enough water close the lid and boil for 5 more minutes.

14.Garnish with coriander leaves.