Leftovers' Magic - Masala Idly / Idli

 Masala idlies served with peanut chutney

Smart, frugal people always find ways to save and believe in the motto 'reduce, reuse and recycle'. Indian kitchens believe in the same concept, where nothing goes waste. Even leftovers are put to good use instead of trashing them. Plenty of delicacies are created from leftovers that have their own identity, flavor, fervor and sometimes even more appeal than the original dish.

In South Indian kitchens, leftover dosa / idli batters are a common ocurrence. While leftover dosa batter can be used to prepare delicious utappams - the pancakes with veggies, idli batter can create wonders. One way to use up that leftover batter is to prepare these sunshine masala idlies. Add some healthy, flavorful ingredients to the leftover or even fresh batter, prepare idlies and you have magically transformed the regular ones to something colorful and cheerful.

To make 24 idlies, we need:

5 cups of idli batter

1 carrot, peeled & grated

A handful of green peas (I used frozen)

A handful of chanadal soaked in water for a couple of hours

1 Tbsp cashew nuts (optional)

1 Tbsp finely minced cilantro
1 Tbsp finely minced curry leaves

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp peeled & grated, fresh ginger
1 tsp 1 -2 green chilies finely minced (skip if serving kids)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Making idlies:
Add all the ingredients to idli batter and mix well. Pour the batter into greased idli moulds and steam them in a idli/pressure cooker.

For a detailed version of how to make idli batter / idlies, check here.

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