Semolina Idlis

Eloquently put ,these are a more nutritious ,filling version of the MTR Rawa Idlis.Just in case you were keeping tabs,the past few days I have not been very regular ,or a very conscientious baker bragging about my baketitude.Circumstances ,my dearies,circumstances...
There was an event that I was organising ,which got postponed just a the nth hour due to a death.Suddenly the frenzy has been put to a standstill,and I feel almost bereft. It is indeed very difficult to relax when you know the guillotine still hangs.So ,what does one do?Get everybody out of the house and indulge in some therapy.....Food! Cooked to perfection ,by ones own self!There is some thing therapeutic indeed!
So for lunch...Semolina Idlis and Panchmel Dal(I had only 3 Dal's so its not quite Panchmel)

This plate full of goodness is just that ...goodness!
Goodness of semolina..one of the easiest cereals to digest(OK -a by product of a cereal)
Three vegetables...all coloured ,so full of beta carotene ,amongst other things,and baked or steamed to top all that.
Nothing could be better.
I recently saw a version of the Semolina Idlis on Anjum Anand's TV show on BBC Entertainment,but hers was made like a cake with no tadka.Well this is how I make my Semolina Idlis.

My car pool partner from my working days in Alwar ,Rajasthan used to make something similar, only Rani Anil Kumar loved carrots a little less, and her idlis were almost always  greener than mine.But that never took away from the taste factor.

Rajasthan introduced me to many flavours ,and with my friends from Kerala,West Bengal ,Uttrakhand and of course Rajasthan....every meal we shared  together was such a wonderful pot pourri of flavours.Flavours that still linger ,just like memories of the good times we spent together.
Cheers to good times!

Well this post pays homage to some of those memories and the lovely stuff made by Rani Anil Kumar.

for the
Semolina Idlis...
you need

2 cups semolina or suji
1 cup yogurt(preferably sour)
1 cup finely chopped capsicum
1 cup finely chopped cabbage
1 cup finely shredded carrots
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp ghee or refined oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp roasted chana dal(optional)
1-2  tsp cashew nuts coarsely chopped
finely chopped coriander and a couple of finely chopped green chillies
pinch asafetida
3/4 tsp baking soda or eno fruit salt
ghee to grease the idli moulds
salt and red chili powder or flakes to taste

Start with the semolina.Dry roast the semolina in a pan till the raw smell dissipates and it begins to smell toasty.

In the meanwhile the other stuff,starting with the yogurt....

And the veggies..

Now dunked into the yogurt,if you want you can substitute the veggies with those of your choice. Along with the salt and red chili powder to taste...

Now for the exciting part...the tadka.In a small pan ,heat the ghee.Ghee has a high smoking point,so it is ideal for tadkas.That's why we say the ancients knew it all.The key is moderation.

That's the stuff for the  tadka....the cashew nuts ,the mustard seeds,curry leaves,the roasted chana dal and the green chillies.Hubby dear has been suffering from mouth ulcers for the last two weeks ,depriving us of our chili fix.Today the big boss was not home for lunch ,so the banished chillies were brought back...the little bushes were too scared to produce all this while....so I could only use these tiny  chili"ette"s.
Asofetida in the white spoon...did not use all,just a tiny pinch.

First went in the asofetida,then the mustard seeds and now the chana Dal.Sizzling and popping as if their life depended on it.(sic).

Then went the cashewnuts.We want them nice and fried,not burnt.Because they need to be strong enough to give a crunch even after being cooked in the idlis.

And last of all,window dressing! The Curry leaves....the flavour is INTENSE!For us,that's what defines south Indian cuisine......coconut oil and curry leaves.

Into the bowl with a handful of chopped coriander leaves.F.Y.I.Coriander has properties to fight salmonella! So next time dunk something into the green chutney!

Now the fruit salt Eno  or the baking soda.Mix really well!

That's the amount of ghee needed to grease the idlis.Would you believe, that the second I turned the oven on the Gods of war turned the electricity off. Torture......

I had to go looking for back up.That came in the form of these old...really old idli moulds(they were my mums,who kindly dumped them on me to use in exigent situations...She lives in the civilized part of the country,where power outages are few and far between.)So,mum to the rescue....Only I had to scrub them and dry them and grease them too....

And put a spoonful of the batter onto the moulds and set them to steam.Depending on your steamer,10-15 minutes.They need to rest at least 5 minutes before you serve them ,otherwise they don't cut clean.

And just when I was wondering what was to become of the leftover batter...the electricity electrified the heavens err ovens....

So microwaved at 70% power or medium for 5 minutes.Resting time at least 5 minutes either way.
Clean cut....but the portrait mode was wonky.

Correction..Now get ready to be happy.

Tadke wala Dahi....that link waits to be posted.That link is now here....tada!
http://baketitude.blogspot.com/2011/11/spinach-tadka-raita.html

Shakespeare said..."If Music be the food of love...then play on..."
Well Amitabh Bachchan singing Hanuman Chalisa....

 +

Soul food Indeed!

So what are you baking today????