Indian Breakfast Dishes - Kanchipuram Idlis

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

100 gm black gram split (urad dal)
200 gm rice
2 tsp pepper corns
2 tsp Bengal gram split (chana dal soaked)
1 tsp turmeric powder
3/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 cup curd (yogurt)
A pinch of asafoetida
1/2 cup ghee
Salt to taste
Tender banana leaves

Method:

1. Soak the rice and urad dal with fenugreek seeds for 3-4 hours. Grind to a smooth paste.

2. Add turmeric powder, peppercorns, soaked chana dal, yogurt, ghee and salt. Mix well and let it stand overnight to ferment. Whip the batter and adjust the consistency. It should be fairly thick.

3. Line the idli cups with the banana leaves and pour the batter into them. Steam for about 20 minutes or till done.

4. Serve with coconut chutney and sambar.

Indian Sweet Dishes - Ariselu

Ingredients:

1250g (approx. 6 cups) rice
1 kg jaggery, cut into pieces
50g sesame seeds
1 1/2 kg ghee or butter

Method:

1. Wash the rice once and soak them in water for 24 hours. Drain water and grind to a fine flour. Sieve the flour and keep aside.

2. Take jaggery pieces into a deep pan or cooker. Add 1 1/2 glass of water and bring to a boil. Boil the jaggery until it gets thick consistency (Take some water in a plate and pour some of the boiled jaggery to it. Roll with your finger. When it forms into a ball shape, it is done)

3. Remove from heat when it is done. Mix well by adding small amounts of flour to it. Take care so that no lumps can be formed. Add 3-4 tbsp of ghee to the flour mixture and keep aside.

4. Heat ghee in another pan. Make small balls from the jaggery mixture.

5. Apply ghee to a polythene cover, place a ball in the middle and press with your fingers to a circle. Also apply few sesame seeds on both sides.

6. Repeat this process for the remaining balls and deep fry in ghee until golden brown in color and crispy.

7. Place them in an air-tight container. These will long for so many days.

Indian Sweet Dishes - Amrit Peda

Makes : 8 pedas
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup grated khoya (mava)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. cardamom (elaichi) powder
1/4 cup pistachios, blanched, peeled & chopped
A few saffron strands
2 to 3 slivered pistachios, for garnishing

Method:

1. Combine the khoya and powdered sugar in a heavy bottomed pan and cook on a slow flame, while stirring continuously till the sugar has dissolved and the moisture has evaporated (approximately 5 to 10 minutes).

2. Remove from the fire, add the cardamom powder and mix well. Allow it to cool completely. Divide the mixture into two portions, 2/3 and 1/3.

3. In the 1/3 mixture, add the pistachios and mix well. In the 2/3 mixture, add the saffron strands and mix well.

4. Divide the pistachios mixture into 8 equal portions. Shape into even sized rounds. Divide the saffron mixture into 8 equal portions and shape into even sized rounds.

5. Stuff each saffron round with the pistachio round and seal the edges completely. Make designs on the peda using a toothpick.

6. Garnish with slivered pistachios.

Indian Chutney Recipes - Dahi Chutney

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

250 gms thick yogurt (dahi), beaten
1 1/2 cup coriander leaves
5 green chilies
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp roasted cumin seeds, powdered
1 tsp garlic

Method:

1. Add salt, cumin powder and garlic to yogurt. Mix once.

2. Add coriander leaves and green chilies to the yogurt and blend till its smooth. Taste for salt.

3. Add little milk if its too thick. Mix well. Little pepper can be added too.

4. Pour in a chutney dish and refrigerate. Serve cold or at room temperature. The chutney tastes good if the yogurt is little sour.

5. Stays for 2 days in refrigerator. Goes well with dosas, idlis and puris.