Rawa Idli

Idli

Idli is a speciality of the southern part of India. It is easy to cook and is a very healthy dish. This is the staple diet for people in South India and is fondly cherished by people all over India as a delicacy. Idli can be eaten raw, with chutney, with sambhar, as upma or fried with onions/capsicum/tomatoes.

I have researched a lot on how to get the soft idlis, and here is the mix that I use.

Ingredients

For 28 Idli
1 bowl fine Rawa
1 and 1/2 bowl course Rawa
1 bowl yoghurt (natural)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda (please dont use baking powder. We need to use baking soda)
1 bowl luke warm water
1/2 tea spoon yeast
1 table spoon gunpowder (Gunpowder is a special South Indian spice made from a mix of dried lentils and other spices)

Method

Take a bowl and add 1 bowl of fine Rawa to it. Then add 1 and 1/2 bowl course Rawa. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Add 1 cup natural yoghurt. Mix well.

Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of yeast in 1 table spoon of luke warm water and mix the dissolved yeast to the above mix.

Finally add 1 bowl of luke warm water to the mix and mix well.

If you will cook the idlis in a Microwave, then keep a little extra water. If you will cook the idlis in a gas idli cooker, then keep the water little less.

Leave the mix to stand for 15-20 minutes.

After the batter is fermented for 15-20 minutes, mix well. Grease the Idli cooker (gas or Microwave). Add the Idlis to the stand. Cook the Idli at High setting of Microwave for 10 minutes. Should you use the gas pressure cooker, keep the flame at the highest and cook for 10 minutes.

In either case, ensure that the cooker has enough water at the bottom of the Idli stand, so that there is enough steam for the idlis to cook.

Tip: You can add roasted lentils like roasted chana daal to the Idli mix to add taste.

Special Bengali Spices

Panch Phodan

This is a spice mixture that has its origin in the state of West Bengal. The spice mixture is not only very tasty, but also very healthy to use in all kinds of food. You can use it in daal, vegetables and curries.

Ingredients

1 table spoon Methi Dana

2 table spoon Jeera

1.5 table spoon Kalunjee (also known as Mangrel in some places)

1 table spoon Mustard Seeds

1 table spoon Saunf

Tip: Keep the spices mixed together and while making any curry, dal or vegetable, splatter the panch phodan in hot oil to start. Make sure that it doesnt burn.

Vegetarian Spaghetti


Spaghetti is a long, thin, cylindrical pasta of Italian origin. Spaghetti is made of semolina or flour and water. Italian dried spaghetti is made from durum wheat semolina, but outside of Italy it may be made with other kinds of flour. Traditionally, most spaghetti was 50 cm (20 in) long, but shorter lengths gained in popularity during the latter half of the 20th century and now spaghetti is most commonly available in 25–30 cm (10–12 in) lengths. A variety of pasta dishes are based on it, from spaghetti alla Carbonara or garlic and oil to a spaghetti with tomato sauce and other sauces.


For the dish today, we make a simple vegetarian spaghetti. Cooking time for the dish is 15 min. 


Ingredients


1/4 packet of spaghetti noodles
1 medium sized onion finely sliced in long thin slices
1/2 capsicum sliced finely in long shreds
1/2 cup chopped beans
2 table spoon soya sauce
1 table spoon vinegar
1.5 table spoon chilly sauce
1.5 table spoon tomato sauce
3 table spoon cooking oil
1 pan of water
salt and red pepper to taste


Method


Heat the 1 pan of water with 1/2 tea spoon salt and 1 table spoon of cooking oil. 
When the water has almost started to boil put the spaghetti in the water. I normally break the spaghetti noodles into half so that they are manageable. You can keep them in the length that you like. 


Boil the noodles nicely in the water and make sure that the spaghetti is completely cooked (else it will stay hard from the centre). When the spaghetti is done, drain it under cold water in a sieve and keep aside. I also like to wash the spaghetti noodles under cold water when they are boiled completely. This ensures that they don't get sticky. However make sure that the spaghetti is completely cooked up to the inside of each spaghetti noodle, else the cold water would make it hard from inside. Keep the drained and washed spaghetti aside and let the remaining water drain off. 


Now take a pan, and heat two table spoon of cooking oil. Add the onions and fry till translucent brown. Add the shredded capsicum and chopped beans to it, and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add 1.5 table spoon of chilly sauce and 1.5 table spoon of tomato sauce. Mix well. Don't fry too much else the mixture will become will very dry. Immediately add the 2 table spoons of soya sauce, 1 table spoon of vinegar and noodles. Mix all of these well. Add salt and red pepper as per taste. Mix well and let the noodles come to a uniform heat. Take care that the noodles dont get too dry. 


Serve hot. 


Tip: If you like more sour taste, increase the vinegar content by another 1/2 spoon. 

Jalebi


Jalebi is a very popular Indian sweet dish, and is mostly used the 'Celebration Indian Sweet'. It is used across all major occassions like Holi, Republic Day, Independence Day and in many parts of India is eaten as breakfast every morning. Gwalior is famour for eating Jalebi and Poha as breakfast. Many people also enjoy eating jalebi dipped in milk.


Ingredients
1/2 cup whole purpose flour (maida)
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon gram flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon refined oil
1/2 cup luke warm water


For sugar syrup, we will need
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 table spoon lime juice
2- pinch of cardomom powder
1/4 teaspoon kesar


Method

First dissolve 1/2 teaspoon yeast in 1 tablespoon of luke warm water. Ensure that no lumps remain. Then add 1/2 cup of whole purpose flour (maida) to it. Add 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon refined oil and 1/2 teaspoon gram flour and mix well. Ensure that there are no lumps formed in the batter.

Finally add a little less than 1/2 cup of water and make a smooth batter. The consistency of the batter should be similar to the batter we make for cakes.

Cover with a lid and leave in a warm place. The batter will ferment. Let it ferment for an hour. Dont over ferment the batter.

Make a cone (like the one used for putting henna) and keep the diameter of the mouth as about 3-4 mm.

After an hour, fill the fermented batter in the cone. Heat oil in a pan and when the oil is hot, make jalebis directly in the oil moving the cone in circular motions. Fry the jalebis till golden brown and set aside the fried jalebis on a tissue paper.

Meantime on another flame, take 1 cup of sugar in a pan and add 1/2 cup water. Add 1 table spoon lime juice, 2- pinch of cardomom powder and 1/4 teaspoon kesar to it. Bring it to a boil, and keep stiring. Ensure that the sugar does not burn. When the syrup become little thick remove it from flame.

Add the fried jalebis to the sugar syrup while it is hot. Delicately move around the jalebis in the sugar syrup so that all of them covered with the sugar syrup.

Serve hot or cold, as per taste.

Tip: Serve jalebis with poha and hot milk in the breakfast. This is a very wonderful and healthy breakfast. Many people eat Jalebi soaked in milk to treat headaches.




More Jalebi's :D