Supertasty Oats Idli With Sesame Tomato Chutney

The most favorite south indian breakfast is undoubtedly the idli.A Idli is the perfect combination of carbohydrates and proteins. And because it's steamed, it uses no oil.It is considered the top 10 healthiest breakfast as per nutrition experts.

This version of idli has been made flavorfull with carrot, cashews and healthier with oats which ups the fiber content.Give it a try and be amazed ...

Ingredients

•     2 cup oats(I used quaker oats)
•     1cup rava/sooji (semolina)
•     2 cup thick butter milk
•     1/2 cup grated carrot
•     1 tbsp chopped cashew
•     1/2 tsp chana dal
•     1/2 tsp mustard seeds
•     1/2 tsp cumin seeds
•     2 chopped green chillies
•     1 spring curry leaves
•     2 tbsp chopped cilantro
•     a pinch of hing
•     1 tbsp fruit salt or ENO
•     1 tbsp ghee
•     salt to taste

Cooking Procedure:

Take the idly racks and spray oil on each idli mould and keep aside.

Dry roast the oats in medium flame for few min until a nice aroma emanates,shift it to mixie and grind to fine powder.

Heat ghee in a pan ,add chana dal ,cashew n fry till light golden brown ,then add mustard seeds,cumin seed and once they splutter add green chilli,curry leaves,hing ,carrot fry for a min ,then add sooji n fry till it become golden brown .

Shift it to some bowl,mix the oats earlier prepared oats powder and let it cool ,once cool add the buttermilk and blend it nicely to semi thick batter like idli batter.

Add ENO to this batter , immediately it become fluffy.

Now put 2 tbsp of batter into each idli mould depression, and stack the racks one above the other and steam in the pressure cooker or steamer for 15min on medium flame.

Remove them carefully from steamer and let it cool, take a sharp spoon and scoop them out into the plate.

Your oats idli is ready.

Serve it with your choice of chutney , I made sesame tomato chutney for this ,which was the perfect combo . Here is the recipe 

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 green chilli
• 1 red chilli
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 spring curry leaves
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• a pinch of hing

Dry roast sesame seeds and keep aside

Heat 1 tsp oil and add green chilli, red chilli and fry for a min, now add tomato, cilantro and turmeric powder, cover and cook till it becomes soft.Switch off flame and let it cool.

Take the roasted sesame seeds and grind it finely, then add the above tomato mixture and make a smooth paste.

Now prepare the tempering by heating 1 tsp oil, add mustard, cumin, hing and once mustard start to splutter add the curry leaves. Then add the tempering to the above grinded paste.

Your chutney is ready. 

 
Note: You can also prepare the oats mixture in previous day and store it in air tight container for next day morning use or refrigerate for upto a week

After mixing the curd to the oats mixture ,steam the idlis immediately  else they will become soggy

Sankranthi Subhakankshalu / Happy Pongal

Happy Sankranti to my fellow bloggers. No celebration is complete in south india without a sweet and rice preparation and a muggu/kolam/rangoli :) . My cousin sister who studies near chennai dropped by to celebrate pongal and made a beautifull rangoli for us !!

Today I took the opportunity to prepare a biyyam parvanam / rice kheer with a little twist to bring some magic to the flavors. With the kheer I prepared pulihora/tamarind rice.I had posted another version of pulihora earlier which was my MIL version while this one is my mothers style. 

So let me share both my festival recipes today : ) 

Rice Kheer

Ingredients

• 4 cups full fat milk
• 1/3 cup basmati rice
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 pods crushed cardamon
• 8 finely chopped pista
• 1 tbsp chopped cashewnuts
• 1 tbsp condensed milk - milkmaid
• 2 tbsp kismis / raisins 
• 1 tsp ghee / clarified butter
• pinch of saffron

Procedure

Pressure cook the rice with one cup milk for 3 whistles for 10 minutes in sim. Switch it off then one the pressure releases remove the lid and mash the cooked rice to make it more soft.

Boil the milk and add the above mashed rice and let it boil, the milk will  begins to thick. Add the sugar , condensed milk and saffron and stir and let it boil for 5 minutes. switch off the flame and let it cool.

Fry the chopped cashewnuts with 1tsp ghee till light golden brown, then add the kismis and a little chopped pista, once the kismis become fluffy add the cardamom powder and then add this to the kheer.

Garnish with remaining pista serve warm or chilled as you prefer

Note: Using basmati rice brings more flavor to the kheer 

Pulihora / Tamarind Rice

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• a big lemon size tamarind soak in 1 cup water
• 4 red chillies
• 2 tbsp channa dal
• 1 tbsp urad dal
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 3 springs curry leaves
• 2 tbsp peanuts
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 green chilli
• 1/8 tsp hing
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp jaggery
• 1/8 cup oil
• salt to taste

Cooking procedure

Soak the tamarind in warm water for 30 min ,then nicely squeeze and extract the pulp and keep aside.
Soak channa dal with enough water for 30 minutes
Cook the rice with 2 cups of water and with a 1 tsp oil in pressure cooker for 3 whistles .

Dry roast sesame seeds with 1 red chilli and a pinch of cummin seeds, once sesame seeds start to splutter transfer it immediately to a plate to cool after that make a fine powder and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan add urad dal ,peanuts, mustard seeds ,fenugeerk seeds and when mustard seeds starts to splutter add the channa dal soaked earlier and fry till it appears golden color. Then add the red chilli,curry leaves,turmeric and hing and stir for 30 sec ,then add tamarind pulp and jaggery and stir n cook till the mixture become a thick and when oil begins to saturate switch off the flame and let it cool.

Mix the above mixture to the rice till it blends nicely with rice ,then mix the sesame seed powder nicely ,then cover n keep aside for 30 min before you serve

Note :

• You can prepare the tamarind paste before ,store in the jar and refregirate it ,use when ever u want .
• If u add more jaggery then will get the sweeter version of pulihora
• Adding sesame seed powder will balance the tangy flavors

Flavorfull Sesame Capsicum Curry

Sesame seeds have a nutty taste and a delicate, almost invisible crunch. It is also considered a super seed as it has some amazing health benefits.

This recipe was shared by my mom and you would love it as provides a excellant flavorfull side dish to have with rice.

Ingredients

• 6 med size capsicums
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp grated coconut
• 2 green chillies
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/8 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/8 tsp cummin/jeera
• 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 spring curry leaves
• 2 red chillies
• pinch of hing

Procedure

Wash the capsicum, dice them and deseed and keep aside

Make a fine paste of sesame seeds, grate coconut, green chilles and hing with a little water

Heat oil in a pan, add cummin and mustard seeds, once the mustard splutter, add the red chillie and curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds.

Add the capsicum and fry for a minute then add turmeric and salt to it and mix nicely. Cover and cook in a medium flame,stir occassioanlly until the capsicum becomes tender.

Add the sesame paste prepared earlier and mix nicely till it blends completely with the tender capsicum and fry for another 5 minutes on a low flame.

Serve this curry with rice and a dash of ghee

The Simply Delicious Carrot Halwa

Recently I saw some lovely fresh delhi carrots and prepared this dessert which is one of my favorite dessert recipes which is quick and easy to prepare with a exotic flavor and I am sure it is the same for all of you.

Ingredients

• 3 cups grated carrot
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp condensed milk - amul milkmaid (optional)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cardamom crushed
• 2 tbsp ghee(clarified butter)
• 1 tbsp chopped cashew
• 1 tbsp kishmis

Procedure:
Wash the carrots nicely ,peel the carrots and grate them with grater or food processor.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a deep bottom pan ,add the grated carrot and fry in a low flame,cover and cook till the quantity of grated carrot reduce to half it will take approx 10 min,now add the milk and mix it properly ,now cover the pan and cook in the low flame till carrot will become soft and milk almost absorbed.This procedure will take 30 min.

Now make the flame high to evaporate the remaining milk quickly into the halwa.

Now add sugar and condenced milk and stir continuously till the mixture starts to leave the side of the pan ,add 1/2 tbsp ghee and switch off the flame.

Fry the chopped cashewnuts with 1/2 tbsp ghee till light golden brown, then add the kismis, once the kismis become fluffy add the cardamom powder and then add this to the halwa.

Mix nicely till  they blend properly and serve warm. 

Note: You can also add khoa instead of condensed milk