Fluffy Idlis with Sambhar and coconut chutney

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Busting some myths

– The South Indian is not always a Madraasi.
We have 5 states. Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu

– The South Indian women are only clad in heavy Kanjivaram sarees with gajra on her oily hair.
Check my profile pick as the myth buster here

– The South Indian doesn’t always speak English and Hindi in a highly distinctive accent.
I can speak Marathi too without an accent

– The South Indian is always a vegetarian.
What rubbish. Have u forgotten the drunken chicken and bacon wrapped prawns

– The South Indian only eats dosa, idli, vada, sambhar and, as a holiday treat, rasam and rice.
Well that’s not true.

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But what is true is that we sure know how to make our idlis the fluffiest cotton balls around. And accompanying the idlis is the tangiest sambhar and coconut chutney perfect for the idlis to float away to Paradise. Moms no fail recipe. Worth boasting about for sure.

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iDLI RECIPE

2 cups parimal/kolam rice

2 cups boiled or ukda rice,

3/4 cup urad dal,

1 tbsp salt,

1 tsp sugar. 

1. Soak both the rice together and soak the dal separately for about six hours

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2. Grind the rice and dal separately about 30 mins each. Add the salt and sugar when grinding rice

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3. After grinding. Mix well. take 2 big vessels and keep pouring the batter from one vessel to the other from a little 
height. This will mix it well.

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4. Then fluff the batter, you can use a whip. I use my hands and beat it well like a fork would whip eggs. Spread ur fingers and fluff the batter for 10 mins. It will put air in the batter.

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4. Leave it overnight in a hot area like next to the fridge.

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5. The next day the batter would have fermented.

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6. Heat water in an idli steamer, till it starts leaving steam

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7) Grease the bowls with little oil and pour the batter to fill 1/2 the bowl. Place in the steamer and shut the lid. Steam on high for 12 minutes. The 12 minutes are calculated after the steam leaves the sides of the vessel.

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8) remove the bowls and overturn them on the table. Cover with a wet cloth to cool it down.

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9) after 5 minutes gently remove the idlis from the bowls and keep them in a hot box

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SAMBHAR RECIPE

1 cup tur dal

1 marble size ball of tamarind

3-4 small brinjals – quartered

1 tomato – quartered

4 sticks drumstick – cut into 2-3″ sticks

1-2 tbsp sambhar powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

salt, haldi

Temper – 1 tsp mustard seeds, oil, karipata, pinch hing and 2-3 dried red chilli.

1) Boil tur dal in pressure Cooker for 1 whistle and then 5 mins slow gas after that.
2) Soak the tamarind in hot water. 
3) In a Separate vessel, boil drumstick, brinjal and tomato (put turn by turn as per cooking time) with some salt, haldi and red chilli powder.

4) When they are 95% cooked, add the cooked dal, sambhar powder, tamarind water. Give it a good boil. Adjust seasonings.
5) Temper separately with little oil, mustard seeds, hing, karipatta and dry red chilli and add it to the sambhar.

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COCONUT CHUTNEY RECIPE

1/2 freshly grated coconut

1 green chilli

1″ ginger

2 garlic flakes

1 small marble size tamarind ball

salt.

temper – 1 tsp mustard seeds, oil, karipata, 1/2 tsp urad dal and 2 dried red chilli.

1) Coarsely grind everything with little water.

2) Temper separately with ingredients listed under temper and add to chutney.