IDLI

IDLI

INGREDIENTS AND METHOD

Step 1

wash and soak

1. Rice- 3cups (5hrs)

2. urad dal- 1cup (2hours)

3. methi- half tsp (1hour)

Step 2

After 5-6 hours, soak one cup of poha / chewda for 5 minutes.

drain the water .

Grind all the ingredients separately and then mix them nicely .

the batter should be thick at this stage so use less water while grinding.

Step 3

Give the batter a nice mix , add a teaspoon of salt , mix gently and leave it covered for about 10 to 12 hours for fermentation.

Step 4

After 12 hours or so, you will see that the batter has fermented and increased in

volume. beat it nicely , and add salt as per taste.

For idli the batter should not be runny. For dosa you may need to add water and give it a gentle mix.

First batch of idli and first dosa should be enough to guide you regarding the

consistency.

Step 5

Oil the idli moulds/ plates and pour the batter.

Steam for 6- 7 minutes .

Insert a thin bladed knife or a toothpick in the center , if it comes out clean then you can spoon out the idlis. Or else steam it for another 2 -3 minutes.

Done.

MY RECIPE, MY STYLE

JHATPAT PASTA

PASTA

PALAK FRITTERS/ SPINACH FRITTERS

PALAK FRITTERS

INGREDIENTS

Fresh palak/ spinach leaves

Besan/ chickpea

Rice flour

Salt

Sugar

Red chilli powder(optional)

Chat masala or black/rock salt

Oil for frying.

PROCEDURE

This is a very easy dish to prepare . Less time consuming , yet very tasty dish. These fritters can be enjoyed as a snack with tea or coffee or as a side dish with dal chawal or even khichdi on a rainy day.

It is very important to choose the leaves which are crunchy and fresh. Wash them nicely. Now in a bowl , make a very thick batter with besan/chickpea, rice flour (one fourth of besan), salt (according to taste) and sugar (very little). To make it spicy you can add red chilli powder too. Allow the batter to rest for 5-10 minutes and beat it again nice and smooth. Heat the oil to a deep frying temperature. Lower the flame. Nicely coat each leaf with the thick batter and deep fry them on a medium to low flame, two to three leaves at a time. Drain the excess oil on a kitchen towel . 

Before serving, arrange the fritters on a platter and sprinkle some chat masala or black/ rock salt on them.

Spinach greens are supposed to be highly nutritious with great health benefits. Deep frying them is not that healthy as this process will definitely lower the nutrition quotient of vitamin K and iron by several degrees. But, once in a while it is all right to give in to your food cravings and allow yourself an occasional indulgence. Happy snacking !!

MY RECIPE, MY STYLE

KHICHUDI AND LABDA/LABRA WITH BEGUNI ( KHICHDI AND MIXED VEGETABLE WITH BRINJAL FRITTERS)

KHICHUDI/ KHICHDI

INGREDIENTS

one cup gobindobhog rice (gowindabhog)

one cup +1/4th mug (moong) dal

veggies like potatoes, cauliflower, broad beans , cowpea, green peas, carrots ( I like)  etc.

mustard oil

ghee

salt

haldi powder

sugar (optional, but most Bengalis add)

tomato+ginger+green chilli paste
bay leaves for tempering

dried red chillies for tempering
jeera / cumin for tempering

jeera powder or paste

Wash and soak the rice for half an hour atleast. Roast and soak the daal as well. Bring water to boil in a deep bottomed pan or handi. Add the rice followed by the daal. Add salt and turmeric and let it boil.
IN another kadhai heat mustard oil , temper with tejpatta, whole cumin and dried red chillies. Add tomato +ginger+ chilli paste, cook for a while. At this stage you may add cumin paste/ jeere bata or jeera powder.  Then add salt, haldi, sugar, veggies and fry them nicely with the masala.
Now assemble the tempered and fried veggies and rice and dal and let it cook on a medium flame. After one good boil adjust the seasoning. Add ghee. Once done sprinkle jeera powder (freshly roasted and ground). Cover the pan. Allow atleast 15minutes of standing time.
Some like their khichdi runny/ watery,  some like it thick . Some with a generous amount of ghee or butter, some like it light. When it comes to serving and taste , I always say, "TO EACH HIS/ HER OWN". 

LABDA/ LABRA (MIXED VEGETABLE)

INGREDIENTS

Mustard oil

Panch phoran

Dried red chillies (Shukno lonka)

Ginger paste

Green chilli paste

Salt

Turmeric

Sugar

Ghee

Roasted and ground panch phoran (bhaja moshla)

Veggies like potatoes, cabbage,banana stem, brinjal, parwal, beans, broad beans, pumpkin, raddish, carrots.. 

In nicely heated mustard oil add panchforan, dried red chillies, little bit of ginger and green chilli paste , all the veggies , salt, haldi, sugar, fry on a high flame for  few minutes then cover the kadhai with a heavy lid and cook on a low flame till done and the water has dried up. Once done add ghee and ground panch phoran and keep it covered till served.

NOTE:-
You may cut the veggies as per your liking but traditionally, potatoes, pumpkins, raw banana, brinjals are cut into cubes. Whereas the others like carrots, raddish parwals are cut lengthwise. Banana stem is cut into smaller pieces compared to other vegetables.

BEGUNI (BRINJAL FRITTERS)

INGREDIENTS

Brinjals , thinly sliced , length wise or round
Besan ( chickpea), rice flour (one fourth of besan), salt, haldi, kalo jeere/ kalounji/ nigella seeds ( few)
Chat masala or black salt (to sprinkle on the fritters while serving)

Slice the brinjal and smear the slices with very little salt+haldi+sugar and keep aside. For the batter mix all the ingredients nicely with water. The batter should not be very thin, the consistency should be such that you are able to coat each slice nicely .
The last step is to fry the eggplant slices nice and crispy.
Always make sure that you have smoked the oil properly before frying. turn off the flame and reheat the oil, keep it on a medium flame while frying the fritters. It helps if a little hot oil ( about a tablespoon) is added to the batter and mixed well before dunking the slices. This trick works for almost all types of deep fried food.


MY RECIPE, MY STYLE