A - Z Idli Series ~ N for Navadhanya Idli

 

I had planned another traditional idli recipe from Karnataka for today but could not source an ingredient needed for it and had to discard the idea. I then went ahead and as an experiment, prepared these idlis using navadhanya. To be honest, the idea would never have occurred to me if not for this series and these protein rich idlis turned out soft and fluffy. Navadhanya refers to the nine grains used in Hindu religious rituals - Bengal gram, black gram, black sesame seeds, chickpeas, green gram, horse gram, rice, wheat, and white colored beans (I used black eyed peas for it). 

These idlis are simple to make though advanced planning is needed as the ingredients need to be soaked, ground and fermented before steaming the batter in the idli moulds. Though the process sounds tedious, the steps are quite simple and doesn't need much of one's energy. The idlis can be made in advance and can be refrigerated or even frozen to have a healthy breakfast ready in the morning rush hours with a simple step of reheating them in a microwave.

Navadhanya idli turned out fluffy with a subtle flavor to them, because of the wheat used in the recipe. These navdhanya idlis served with chutney and / or sambhar  make a filling breakfast or dinner option as they are super healthy, nutritious and vegan. Ours were served with peanut chutney and erra karam, Andhra style onion chutney.

I used navadhanya as I mentioned above but some ingredients may be substituted or omitted from the recipe as per preference. Brown rice can also be replaced with idli rice. Wheat can be completely omitted from the recipe as well if it's flavor in the idli is not to your taste. Whole black gram can be replaced with skinned variety as it needs only a couple of hours of soaking and also doesn't need thorough rinsing to get rid off the skins. Omitting one or two beans that are not on hand works too.

Some of the beans used here like chickpeas, black gram and horse gram need to be soaked overnight or for at least 8 hours. It is hard to sort out and soak the ingredients individually according to their soaking periods and therefore I soaked rice, wheat, Bengal gram, green gram, black eyed peas, chickpeas and horse gram in water in one container and black gram in another bowl. The black gram needs some thorough rinsing to get rid off the skins as much as possible and so they were soaked separately.

I soaked the ingredients overnight and ground the batter in the morning. The batter fermented quickly, in about 7 hours which never happens with my regular idli batter. It maybe partly because of the quantity of the beans used in the recipe and partly because of the weather the day I made these idlis, at 80 deg F / 27 deg C. I would recommend to grind the batter in the morning to keep an eye on the fermentation process. I am not sure but guessing that too much fermentation may cause the batter to start smelling foul because of the beans used here.

Ingredients: (Yield - 28 idlis)

1 cup idli rice 

1/2 cup brown rice

1/4 cup wheat kernels

1/2 cup + a handful of black gram *

6 tbsp. each - Bengal gram, green gram, black eyed peas, chickpeas, and horse gram **
Toasted black sesame seeds as needed
Salt to taste (I used about 2.5 tsp. salt.)

Water to grind the ingredients

Notes:

* I used whole black gram but it can be substituted with skinned black gram which takes only about 2 hours of soaking. 

** Some of the ingredients used here like black gram, chickpeas, horse gram need overnight or about 8 hours of soaking.

Directions:

1. Add idli rice, brown rice, wheat, Bengal gram, green gram, black eyed peas, chickpeas and horse gram to a container. Rinse them with water twice and drain. Add enough water and soak them overnight or for at least 8 - 10 hours.  

* Add black gram to another bowl and rinse. Drain and add water to the bowl and soak it also overnight or for at least 8 hours. (Or skinned black gram can be substituted which needs soaking for only a couple of hours.)

* After the soaking, drain the water from the rice - lentil container and rinse again twice with water and keep aside. However the black gram needs some thorough rinsing to get rid off the skins as much as possible. I used whole black gram since it is used in navdhanya but skinned black gram can be substituted to skip the rinsing part.

2. Add all the soaked and drained ingredients to a grinder. Grind them adding salt and enough water into a smooth and thick batter. If using a mixer then grind them in 2 batches. (The salt can be added just before making idlis if living in a warm climate. I add it while grinding since I live in a cold climate and the batter takes longer to ferment.)

* Transfer the batter to a container large enough to allow the batter to raise during fermentation. Cover the container and allow it to ferment for about 7 - 8 hours. (It took me about 7 hours to ferment the batter when the temperature was about 80 deg F / 27 deg C and it may take longer in  cold climate. Leaving the batter out after fermentation may turn smelly.)

3. The fermented batter looks like above in the picture 3. Refrigerate the batter if not using immediately and use within a couple of days. Leave the refrigerated batter on the counter for a couple of hours before using.

* Heat about 2 cups of water in a idli cooker base or a idli cooker or a steamer on medium heat. 

4. Grease the idli moulds with ghee / oil and sprinkle black sesame seeds over them.

5. Gently stir the batter a couple of times with a ladle. Pour the batter into the idli moulds carefully without spilling.

6. Place the idli stand in the prepared cooker / steamer and close the lid. Don't use the valve for the lid if using a pressure cooker.

* Steam the idlis on low heat setting for about 20 - 25 minutes or until done. (The idlis should not stick when touched with moist fingers.) Check the water level in the steamer base and add extra if needed.

7. Wait for about 10 minutes and then remove the idlis from idli stand. Remove the idlis by running a spoon around the edges.

Serving the idlis: 

* Drizzle melted ghee over the idlis and serve them with a chutney, and sambhar if preferred. Mine were served with peanut chutney and erra karam / Andhra style onion chutney.

What to do with leftover idlis:

1. Refrigerate the left over idlis and use in a day or two. 

2. Or they can be cooled down immediately after preparation and frozen to use later. Nuke them in a microwave, covered and enjoy hot, piping idlis when needed.

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Kalmi Vada Chaat

Let me warn you beforehand, if you came looking around for an authentic kalmi vada chaat recipe. This is not that typical old Delhi style kalmi vada chaat where the thick red saunth chutney and slivers of kachaloo / taro are unique additions. I made this chaat to my liking since I had extra kalmi vadas on hand and I wanted to treat my son with some chaat at home. It ended up being an immensely tempting and a filling snack with melange of sweet, tangy and spicy flavors to devour.  

I had made kalmi vadas last month, for next week's mandatory theme, where every participating blogger in the marathon need to cook certain specific recipes. I have given a gist of the recipe below for kalmi vadas which I gathered after watching a street hawker making it on YouTube but a detailed post would be up next week. These twice deep fried vadas were absolutely delicious and resembled the masala vadas, the south Indian equivalent which coincidentally also happen to be my favorite of all vadas. Needless to say I enjoyed the vadas immensely where as the son who keeps away from fried foods as usual did not touch them. He however  enjoyed it served as a chaat, as expected. 

Ingredients for kalmi vadas:
1 cup Bengal gram / chana dal (Half can be replaced with moongdal.)
Salt to taste
Chili powder to taste
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1/4 tsp. peppercorns
Few cloves 
Minced cilantro
Oil to deep fry

Directions for kalmi vadas:
* Rinse and soak the dals individually for 2 to 3 hours. Drain and reserve a handful of Bengal gram. Add all other ingredients except cilantro to a food processor and coarsely grind the batter without adding any water if possible. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the reserved Bengal gram and cilantro. Mix to combine. 
* Heat oil in a deep pan for deep frying.
* Scoop out small portions of the batter and pat them into thick discs and fry them until just golden brown. Drain them on paper towel laden plate and let them cool.
* Cut each partially fried disc / vada into 2 or 3 pieces each and again fry them without overcrowding the pan until golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon onto a plate.

Ingredients for chaat:
14 kalmi vadas,
1 cup salted and boiled chickpeas
2 big cubed, boiled and salted potatoes
1 red big onion, finely chopped
Yogurt as needed
Green chutney as needed
Sweet chutney chutney
Salt to taste
Red chili powder
Chaat masala
Nylon sev to garnish

Directions:
* Arrange 6 - 8 pieces of kalmi vada in each serving bowl / plate. Add potato pieces and chickpeas as much as you need. If using canned chickpeas, rinse and use them.

* Next sprinkle finely chopped onions as much as you like in each bowl.

* It is the turn of yogurt next. I added homemade yogurt made with a combo of fat-free and full fat milk. 

* Then drizzle green and sweet chutneys over yogurt in each bowl. Sprinkle salt, chili powder and chaat masala over each. (Black salt can be added if preferred.) 

* Garnish with fine variety sev. Dig in and enjoy immediately.

So far in the series,

First week - Sweets
Malaadu / Hurigadale Unde
Dry Gulab Jamun
Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai
Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa
Elaneer Payasam
Godhuma Sojjappalu

Second week - Snacks from Gujarat
Damni Dhokla
Doodhi Muthia / Lauki Muthia
Dal Pandoli

Sev Khamani

Methi Khakhra
Pressure Cooker Khandvi

Third Week - Snacks
Bafauri
Soy Beans Guggillu / Sundal

Jhal Muri
Roasted Phool Makhana


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A - Z Indian Street Foods ~ S for Samosa Chole Chaat

Thanks to my husband, samosa chaat has become a family favorite over the years and it is also the most frequently made or ordered chaat at our home. And hence there was no planning or persuasion needed when it came to alphabet 'S'. In fact, this was the first dish I made for the marathon. Whenever my husband gets samosas in surplus, (which tends to happen always, the surplus thing) samosa chaat happens in our home. Gladly, without any complaints I must admit since everyone looks forward to it.
 
Samosa and chole - the two of the signature dishes from the Punjab region come together in samosa chole chaat. Samosa is the flaky, fried triangular pastry with savory potato & pea filling while chole or the chana masala is the spicy chickpea curry which is served with Indian breads. The combo accentuated with spicy, tangy chutneys and topped with crunchy sev and sweet onions form the irresistible samosa chole chaat for spicy food lovers. No surprise, this mouthwatering chaat has now become a popular one ranging from road side stalls to fancy eateries through out the nation. 

Baked samosas can be a guilt-free substitute for fried ones and the link I have provided above is for them. Samosas either fried / baked can be made in advance and refrigerated. They can be warmed in a microwave and used whenever ready to assemble the chaat. The chole also can be prepared in advance and refrigerated. Remember to prepare chole with a lot of gravy. Instead of chole, the dried peas curry called ragada can be substituted in samosa chaat.
Chutneys & sev can be store bought or prepared in advance too. My husband likes adding red garlic chutney as well but I skip it. Also, yogurt is optional here but we love the way it balances the spicy chutneys and chole in the chaat and we don't give it a miss. Most of the stuff can be prepared in advance and so this tempting chaat makes a great menu item when one has company.


Ingredients: (yield 4 servings)
4 medium sized samosas
About 3 cups cooked chole / chana masala (or ragda)
1/4 cup green chutney / cilantro-mint chutney
1/4 cup sweet date-tamarind chutney
2 medium sized onions, finely minced
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1/2 cup sev for topping
1 cup yogurt for topping (optional)

Method:
* Gently break a samosa into 4 or 6 pieces and place it at the middle of a serving bowl or plate. Pour about 2 ladles (or as much as preferred) of chana masala over the samosa pieces.
* Drizzle green chutney and sweet chutney (as much as you prefer) over the chana masala.
* Next sprinkle minced onion and pour yogurt if using.
* Finally top it with sev and garnish with cilantro.
* Assemble three other servings the same way and serve immediately.

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A - Z Indian Street Foods ~ Q for Qabuli Chana Chaat

White chickpeas are called Kabuli or qabuli chana and these legumes are the star ingredient of today's chaat. This chaat is protein packed with underlying and complimentary flavors contributed by chutneys, spices, onions and tomatoes. Those spicy, sweet and tangy flavors form a wonderful base for this easy and filling chaat. It can be done under 10 minutes and novice friendly if using canned chickpeas and store bought chutneys, sev, and pooris.

Ingredients:

½ cup dried chickpeas or 1 cup canned chickpeas

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 small tomato, finely chopped

1 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped

2 heaped tsp. green chutney

2 heaped tsp. sweet tamarind chutney

Salt to taste

¼ tsp. chili powder

¼ tsp. chaat masala

Few pinches of black salt

Sev to garnish

4 fried golgappe puri

Method:

* If using dried chickpeas, soak them overnight and pressure cook until soft. Drain and keep aside. If using canned ones, rinse well and drain. 

* Add chickpeas to a mixing bowl. Next add onion, tomato, cilantro, green chutney, sweet chutney, salt and spices. Mix everything so that spices and chutneys coat the chickpeas and vegetables well. 

* Divide the mixture between serving bowls. Top it with a generous amount of sev and crushed pooris.

So far, on this series, 
A for Aloo Kabli
B for Bajra Vada
C for Chooda Matar
D for Dahi Batata Puri
E for Elaichi - Kesar Lassi
F for Fulwadi
G for Ghugni Chaat
H for Hare Chane Ki Chaat
I for Indori Garaadu Chaat
J for Jamun Bun
K for Khakra - Chana Bhel 
L for Locho
M for Masala Puri Chaat
N for Nippattu Masala Chaat
O for Onion Pakoda  
P for Palakhova Bun

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A - Z Indian Street Food ~ A for Aloo Kabli

I mentioned to my husband casually one evening last month that I am planning to participate in this month's mega marathon ‘Explore the Flavors’. The man who was busy working looked at me probably wondering when did I start needing his permission to do anything and what was special about marathon this time. He thinks that I cook based on marathon themes rather than considering anyone's tastes and preferences at home.😊 I further volunteered that I was not able to choose whether I need to pick a weekly theme or go with one theme for the whole month. Though I sounded as solemn as I was questioning whether I need to solve the hunger problem first or tackle poverty first in the world, the husband zoned out and simply said 'mmm'. For the next few minutes or to rather my questions, I kept on getting more 'mmm's which literally translate to ‘I am not paying attention anymore, you can stop’. Though I had made a list of recipes for weekly themes, I gave him a final ultimatum loudly that I need to go to Whole foods and Patels to buy some millets and other grains I haven’t used before as I was picking ‘Whole Grain’ theme.

That got him into my track back as he wasn’t sure what would I dole out in the name of ‘healthy’ dishes and he wanted to hear about my weekly themes. I told him what they were and said I was planning to cook 6 or 8 international street foods as part of it. The man is a die-hard fan of Indian street food and by now, his interest has piqued by ten folds. Probably he was shocked and thought I was crazy planning international street food instead of making his favorite chaats at home. He switched from inattentive to 'convincing the wife' mode in no time to get me agree to cook 26 street food items at home. That’s how I ended up going to blog about Indian street food this month. 

I decided to go with A-Z theme and had a healthy dish planned for this first post but my husband wanted some aloo chaat instead. I went to the Bengal region to pick this lip smacking version called aloo kabli instead of doling out the common one. As the name indicates, this one is a potato – chickpeas (kabuli chana) salad and is lip smacking good with a zesty sauce as the background. Though the ingredients' list is long, this is quite a simple recipe to dole out. You can even add cucumber pieces and tomato if preferred. The freshly ground bhaja masala lends an inviting cumin flavor and the tamarind sauce lends a blend of sweet, spicy and tangy flavor base to this quick and yummy chaat. This aloo - kabli can be eaten as a quick snack or even a light meal. 

Recipe source: Here

Ingredients:

2 medium sized potatoes (about 1.5 cup cubed)

1/4 cup chickpeas (1/2 cup cooked)

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 small green chili, cut into thin rounds

2 tbsp. cilantro finely

Black salt to taste

1 tsp. lemon juice 

Ingredients for bhaja masala:

1 or 1.5 tsp. cumin seeds

2 red chillies (Use 1 chillie if less spice is preferred.) / 1/2 tsp. red chili powder 

Ingredients for tamarind sauce:

2 tbsp. tamarind chutney (I used store bought one.)

2 tbsp. water

1 tsp. bhaja masala

Salt to taste

1 small green chillie, finely chopped 

To garnish:

Sev (Fried thin chickpea flour vermicelli)

Toasted and skinned peanuts

Minced cilantro

Method:

* Peel and cube the potatoes. Cook on stove-top in a sauce pan and in a microwave just until done. Do not overcook them or turn them mushy. Drain  the water and keep them aside.

* Soak the chickpeas overnight and cook them until tender. Or use canned chickpeas for a shortcut. Remember to rinse them well before use.

* Dry toast the cumin seeds on low flame until they start to brown. Toast the red chillies if using. Cool and grind them together fine.

If using chili powder, toast cumin seeds only. Grind cumin and mix chili powder to it. This is bhaja masala.

* Combine the ingredients under tamarind sauce in a small bowl. Mix and keep it aside.

* Save some minced onion, chili and cilantro for garnishing. Now add the cooked potato cubes, cooked chickpeas, remaining chopped onion, chili & cilantro, remaining bhaja masala, black salt and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Toss them together and let it sit for about five minutes.

* Now divide the mixture into 2 or 3 serving bowls. Drizzle some tamarind sauce over them. Garnish with onion, chili, cilantro, sev and peanuts. Serve immediately.

 

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