Idli, Vada & Sambar

Idli

Ingredients                                        

Par boiled rice	3 cups
Raw rice	1 cup
Urid dhal	1 ¼ cup
Salt	As per taste

Method to make the batter:

1. Soak the rice and urid dhal separately overnight.
2. Grind the urid dhal in a wet grinder or any Indian blender into a smooth batter.
3. Grind the rice into a paste. It doesn’t have to be smooth; it can be a little coarser than the urid dhal batter.
4. Add all the batter into a container and mix it well. Leave it to ferment overnight.

Method to make idlis:

1. Firstly, an idli mould and an idli cooker are needed to make idlis.
2. Prepare the batter by adding salt and check the consistency of the batter, ensuring it is neither too thick nor too watery.
3. Apply oil to the idli plates so that the idlis won’t stick to the plate after it is steam cooked.
4. With a big spoon, take the batter and fill the idli plates.
5. Meanwhile fill the idli cooker with water (about 1 ½ inch height) and keep it on the stove and let it boil.
6. Carefully place the idle plate stand in the idli cooker and close the lid.
7. Cook for about 10-11 minutes and then turn off the stove.
8. Remove the idli plate stand and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Carefully remove the idlis from the plate and serve it with green chutney or sambar.

Vada

Ingredients

Urid dhal	1 cup
Pepper (black)	1 tsp
Ginger	1 tsp
Green chillies	2
Curry leaves	A few
Coconut pieces	2 tbspn
Oil	2 cups
Salt	To taste

Method

1. Soak the urid dal in 2 cups of water for about 3 hours.
2. Powder the black pepper coarsely and keep it aside.
3. Chop the ginger into very tiny pieces and keep it aside.
4. Drain the water from the soaked urid dhal. Grind the urid dhal with a small amount of water so that the consistency is thick.
5. Add pepper, ginger and salt to this mixture. If you want it to be spicier, chopped chillies can be added.
6. Heat oil, pat the batter on a foiled plastic sheet and make a donut-like shape. This can also be achieved by using a vada maker.
7. Slip the vadas into hot oil and fry until they are golden brown.
8. Serve hot with chutney or sambar.

 For Thair Vada:

1. Follow the above steps up to step 7.  
2. Prepare yogurt with a little bit of water. Add salt and season it by heating 1 tbspn of oil.
3. Add mustard seeds, urid dhal and curry leaves. When it turns light brown in colour pour it into the yogurt.
4. Add the fried vadas and let it soak for 10 minutes and then garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Tomato and Onion sambar

Ingredients

Thoor dhal	1 cup
Tomato	2 large
Onion	2 large
Channa dhal	2 tbspn
Coriander seeds	2 tspn
Methi /Fenugreek seeds	1  tspn
Mustard seeds	1  tspn
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Oil	2 tsp
Salt	As per taste

Method

1. Cut tomato and onions into long, thin slices.
2. Pressure cook thoor dhal, tomato and onions.
3. Meanwhile, fry all the dry ingredients except coconut and mustard seeds with 1 tsp. of oil until light brown in colour. When it is cool, grind with coconut into a smooth paste.
4. Mix cooked dhal, tomato and onion along with tamarind juice and the ground mixture. Add salt and boil it.
5. Heat oil and add mustards. When it splutters, add curry leaves and pour it over the sambar.

Coconut chutney

Ingredients

Roasted gram	½ cup
Green chillies	3-4
Fresh coconut	½ cup
Coriander leaves	5 tbspn
Ginger	½ inch piece

In a mixer grind roasted gram, green chillies, coriander leaves, ginger, salt and freshly grated coconut with little water and grind it into a paste.