Idlis

Idlis - a world famous breakfast dish:



Idlis with sambhar and chutney:

 

Idlis with moogagati - a famous Goan breakfast:



Idlis are an famous South Indian special breakfast which is eaten by them almost every alternate day in their homes. However in Goa too idlis are prepared for breakfast but once in a week or alternate weeks. People of Goa also call them hit or sanna. We goans love idlis to have with moogagati ( a vegetable gravy made from green grams- moong) or masooriche tonak ( a vegetable gravy from masoor lentil). Here in my post I have given you the preparation of idlis along with individual recipes of sambhar, chutney and my link to moogagati dish which I have posted separately as moogagati is not just had in breakfast but it also forms a part of our Goan lunch menu in many of our religious ceremonies which are consumed with puris.

First let me tell you one truth. I never knew how to prepare soft idlis, I always turned out to be a bad cook for idlis. Always my idlis turned hard which always disappointed me after all of the hard work wouldn't work. But I wanted to finally learn to make soft idlis. So I did a lot of research through books, net, also asked old aged people, at last tried my best and see I was succeeded and now I can proudly say, yes I can make perfect soft idlis. My happiness touched the sky when my first attempt to make soft idlis turned out to perfection and my husbands appreciation made me fly high.

So now let me lead you at preparation of perfect soft idlis- restaurant style as you can say!!

Ingredients:
Urad dal-1 cup
Rice grains-2 cups
Poha- 1 fist full
Baking soda-1 tsp
Salt-2 tsp ( here am giving you the salt content for this measurement since some new to cooking might get confused looking at the fermented batter as it puffs up)

Method:
I would like to mention to you that the quality of urad dal holds lot of importance for perfect puff in your idlis. So always bring new stocked urad dal from market. First take urad deal and wash it nicely 3-4 times till water runs clear and soak in 3 times quantity of water in morning at around 10 am. In different vessel wash rice grains similarly and soak in water above grains at same time. At night 10pm grind both separately. While grinding add washed poha. Then mix both batters and add baking soda. Mix nicely and keep overnight for fermentation. Next day morning add salt and mix very slowly so that air don't get removed from batter. Then keep your steamer to heat, grease idli moulds with oil, pour the batter and steam for 15-20 mins. Then open and check if done and off the gas. Wait for 5 mins. Then remove the moulds and keep in an empty container and cover with cloth to absorb moisture. Let them cool. Then remove the idlis. Serve with chutney and sambhar.

Have a look at some pictures of my idlis:

After idlis are done, you just cant have them alone. They require a company...I mean a chutney, sambhar or a goan tonak.
So let's look at each recipe individually.

Recipe for coconut chutney:

Ingredients:
Scraped coconut-1 cup
Green chillies-2
Ginger-1 small piece
Coriander leaves-2 tsp
Sugar-1 tsp
Urad dal-1 tsp
Salt-  1 tsp
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Karipatta leaf-1
Asafotedia-1 small piece.

Method:
Grind coconut, sugar, salt, green chillies, urad dal, ginger with little water. Temper this chutney with asafotedia , mustard seeds and karipatta leaves. Always note that this chutney is not dry but slightly watery for idlis to get soaked in it while eating, add water to chutney accordingly to adjust the consistency. Add chopped coriander leaves on top and mix.

Recipe of sambhar. Am going to give you a simplest method of sambhar preparation.

Ingredients:
Tur dal-1 cup
Vegetables like carrot, brinjal/lady finger, raddish- 1 of each whichever available with you
Haldi-1 tsp
Red chilli powder-1 tsp
Sambhar powder-2 tsp
Tamarind pulp-1 tsp
Salt and sugar as per taste
For tempering-
Onion-1
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Asafotedia-1 piece
Karipatta leaf-1

Method:
Cook tur dal in cooker for 2 whistles. Cook vegetables separately for 5 mins. Now mix both and add haldi, red chilli powder , sambhar powder, tamarind pulp, salt and sugar. Cook well and then temper your sambhar with tempering ingredients.

Last but not the least, I would like to give you the link to moogagati recipe which we Goans love to eat along with idli. Please click on below link
Moogagati

Also I would like to mention that Goans also like to eat idlis with any other tonal, for that you need to just click on the tonak label under my recipe categories section. In that you would get the link to different kinds of tonaks prepared in Goan style. All the best for your breakfast - may your day start with perfect soft idlis with perfect combination of your choice.

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Thank you